Enchantress
by AgainstTheMotion
Summary: In which Anna Black is placed into the Avengers Initiative, and is none too pleased about it. Fem!Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: In which Anna Black is placed into the Avengers Initiative, and is none too pleased about it. Fem!Harry.**

 **Title: Enchantress.**

 _ **IMPORTANT A/N! :**_ **This was never meant to happen. I was focusing on my other fic and then suddenly this happened and I had to write out the idea. But, moving on from that, it's important to know Anna (Fem!Harry) already has an established life in the Marvel Universe (which will be touched upon in future chapters, whenever I get around to writing them). Also, the Marvel Universe and the Harry Potter universe are both separate, as in, don't belong in the same one together. I hope that isn't too confusing? I mean, it will be explained, eventually. Just not right now.**

 **I'm literally just jumping right into this. Like, no start up, just the big leap.**

 **I will also note, this is not my best work (at least I don't think so) so there will probably be a lot of mistakes, or it may even seem boring. I have no set plan where I'll take this, I've not even thought about romance or who she'll get along with.**

 **I'm procrastinating now, aren't I? Anyway, I hope you enjoy? Feel free to review, I would love to hear any feedback. But most of all, I at least hope it's enjoyable. Happy reading!**

* * *

Arms laden with brown paper bags, Anna fumbled uselessly with her keys, silently cursing under her breath when she nearly dropped them for the fifth time. The streetlight buzzed obnoxiously loud behind her, periodically flickering, seemingly in tandem with her fumbling fingers. Distantly, she could make out laughter and the clinking of glass bottles, and she was suddenly reminded that it was indeed a Friday night, and she suspected that soon her street would be filled with rowdy voices of aggrieved elderly and drunken men.

Hastily, after juggling with her shopping, she managed to plunge her key into the right place, and sighed when she heard the satisfying 'click' of the lock. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she stepped in through the front door and toed it shut, she noticed one thing out of place. Or rather, she noticed the light from the kitchen was poking out from under the door.

A light which she remembered had not been on since the prior day.

Suspiciously, and with slow movements, she placed her brown paper bags onto the floor. In the same motion as she stood from bending, she slid her wand out of her messy bun and gripped it tightly. The wand emitted a gentle warmth, as if in reassurance, and it boosted her confidence.

The pads of her ballerina shoes tapped lightly against the wooden floors, and she unconsciously cast a silencing charm to mute her movements. It worked, that was, until she reached the kitchen door where it was abruptly swung open and startled her.

Her first reaction was to stun the bastard that dared enter her apartment without permission – and she did, and she didn't feel guilty about it until another figure stepped around the kitchen door with a horror-stricken face. A face Anna recognized.

Her mouth dropped in open shock.

"You...just knocked out Captain America..." His voice sounded weak even in her own ears, as if she just destroyed all that was happy in the world.

His words took a moment to register, and she abruptly paled, her eyes refusing to stray to the now slumped figure on the floor. "I – what are – _Coulson_?"

He didn't even glance at her. "You just knocked out Captain America." He repeated, this time accusingly. "Why... why would you do that?"

Anna spluttered in offence, a suddenly flame of anger overriding her shock. "Excuse me? You're in my house, I have every right to defend myself and – and he surprised me, is all!"

"So your first reaction is to knock him out?" He sounded indignant and high pitched, and Anna refrained from banging her head against the wall.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, turning away slightly to take a calming breath. When she was ready again, she turned to Coulson. "Can you explain to me why you are even here? With – with a previously frozen man that should not even know I exist? Or did you forget that part, about me not existing?"

He ignored the last part, and gestured toward the slumped figure, which Anna refused to follow. "We had some urgent business that required your attention." He paused, giving her a moment for it to sink in, before continuing. "But unfortunately, unforeseen events have hindered us."

It was a dig, both reproaching and hinting. Hinting that she should fix the mess she made, and she retaliated with a raised eyebrow.

"I will gladly listen to your explanation as to why you snuck into my apartment with the fabled Star-Spangled Man," she sarcastically rebuked "And by ' _we_ ' I'm assuming it's not soldier boy here, but S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Coulson huffed. "Very astute, Miss Black. Now if you could kindly –"

"Nope."

And she promptly turned and fled back down the hall (threading her wand back into her bun in the process) to her groceries, one bag containing ice-cream that needed to be put away, pronto.

Hefting the bags into her arms, she retraced her steps back to the kitchen, stepping elegantly over the stunned man on the floor and made her way over the freezer. Coulson remained firmly by the unconscious man, arms crossed and foot tapping away impatiently.

Anna could not deny, through her annoyance, that it was amusing to see him disgruntled. She had met him in the past, and he was always so put together and organized, now he just reminded her of a put-out child. She snorted at the image as she sifted through her bags, pulling items out and setting them neatly on the countertop, ready to be put away.

Absentmindedly, she called over her shoulder. "Would you like some tea? Something to eat, maybe?"

She _does_ have manners.

When she remembers them, that is.

"No," came the terse reply "Now can you –"

"Nope."

"Care to elaborate?"

She hummed nonsensically, puttering around her shelves to place items inside. Anna contemplated her reply for a moment and she finished up, placing the now empty brown bags into the bin, and two tubs of ice cream into the freezer. "You're a representative for S.H.I.E.L.D, right?" She eventually asked, and Coulson quickly confirmed this. "So, logically you're here to speak to me specifically – which has nothing to do with sleeping beauty over there."

Her reasoning was weak, but Anna doubted she could handle apologizing to the Super Solider after she attacked him unwarrantedly. Her embarrassment would not let her live it down.

 _He could have simply been coming to greet us_ , her mind reasoned, while another part of her head thought differently. _It's my house, damnit, it's his fault for startling me_.

"That is not entirely true." Corrected Coulson, giving Anna pause and she turned to look at him. He still hadn't moved from his spot. From whatever facial expression she now wore, it caused Coulson to turn his own smug and triumphant smile back.

She probably looked more like a startled cat than a grown woman, at this point. "What?"

"Should you agree to help us, you would be working in a specifically selected team alongside Captain America."

"Is that so?" She laughed awkwardly, stepping across the room to plop down at the kitchen table, the wooden seat dragging across the tiled floor unnecessarily loud. She took pleasure in it when Coulson winced. "Then the obvious answer would be to tell you no." She rested her chin in the palm of her hand, leaning forward slightly. "And I thought I told you before, I do not exist. We had a deal."

Coulson took one more fleeting glance at the stunned man, and almost hesitantly joined her at the table, his face suddenly neutral and clear of emotions. "I'm afraid that our deal is going to have to change. I wouldn't have come unless ordered to. We need your help, Miss Black."

She analyzed him for a moment, his expression remaining unchanging and devoid. A beat passed between them, and Anna sighed through her nose, her shoulders slumping. "You're being serious."

"It is a very serious matter." Added Coulson "We're facing a potential global catastrophe and we need all the help we can get. This includes you."

Coulson reached down toward his side and pulled up a black case to place on the table, unclipping it to pull out a brown folder and slid it across to her. Across the front of it, stamped in bold letters, spelled _Avengers Initiative_. Above the stamped letters stood the S.H.I.E.L.D logo, an eagle placed in the center of perfect circle.

Hesitantly, after giving Coulson one last searching look, she flipped it open.

Inside she found a list of profiles, each standing out, though one in particular remained closely familiar and Anna shook her head, dragging out and glazing over the information. She bit her cheek, the image of a tall, muscular green giant that was titled 'Hulk' had been clipped to the side of the analysis. The profile that came after the 'Hulk' was also familiar, though this one titled 'Abomination' and she instantly scowled, flicking it away.

The other high-profile names in the folder were familiar, though none stood out so much as the Hulk did.

"And what is this...Avengers Initiative, specifically?" She asked, her gaze remaining firmly on the folder.

"The Avengers Initiative is a group of specifically selected individuals that will help defend Earth from imminent global threats. Each with their own unique talents."

Her gaze flickered to meet his at the last remark. "And you considered _Abomination_ for this?" She gestured to his overturned profile at the end of the table, where she had flicked it away in disgust. "I will have no part of this group if that _thing_ is involved." She sneered. "He caused enough damage in Harlem, if you remember."

He seemed to brighten at this. "So you are considering it?"

She gave him a deadpan look. "Is that all you have taken away from this?" She huffed "Abomination and Hulk in the same room will not go down well. I doubt my assistance will be helpful this time around, if the two of them decide to go for round two."

Coulson waved her off. "If you read Abominations' profile, you would have seen we have rethought our previous decision. He will not be part of the Initiative."

"Then why leave it in at all?" Groused Anna, pinching the bridge of her nose. Coulson didn't feel inclined to share why, and Anna decided to change the subject. "So, who're we after?"

"You've decided to join, then?"

Her eyebrows raised. "I never said that." She denied.

"But you insinuated it," countered Coulson, sounding pleased with himself.

"Answer the question, Coulson."

"His name is Loki, and he stole something important." He finally elaborated, fishing something out of his front pocket and handing it to Anna. It was a picture, of something shaped like a cube that glowed with an eerie inner blue light. It was incredibly beautiful to look at, Anna realized, her index finger grazing over the image, tracing it around the cube.

"What is this?" She wondered, cocking her head to the side. "Some sort of artifact?

"Something like that," said Coulson, nodding his head "It's called a Tesseract, and we need it back."

"And what does it do?"

"It has the potential energy to wipe out the entire world."

The blunt tone caused her to jolt back in surprise, eyes bugged wide in shock. "Then why the _fuck_ hasn't the government gotten rid of it?!" She half shrieked, a feeling of terror clawing in her gut.

There was movement from near the door, a quiet groan and a muttered " _Language_..."

Anna didn't even think twice when she plucked her wand from her bun and sent another stunner out, hitting the Super Soldier square in the back. He slumped back over, dead to the world once again. If Anna wasn't half terrified, she may have been impressed by his resistance. No one has ever managed to come out of being stunned so soon before.

But this wasn't the right time to be impressed.

Anna turned back to Coulson, who was staring back and looking scandalized. "Miss Black!" He cried out, getting to his feet, though he didn't seem to know what to do with himself once he was on his feet.

"Sit down," she hissed sharply, and surprisingly, he complied. "He's fine. Now answer the damn question."

"It's not that simple," he replied, distractedly looking over his shoulder at the man on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not," sarcastically groused Anna, crossing her arms across her chest. "And now it's in the hands of the enemy, well- _fucking_ -done."

Coulson ignored her bitter remarks, turning back to her with a forced serious expression, unable to fully cover his annoyance. "Are you willing to help us, or not, Miss Black? We don't have much time."

She curled her lip at him. "Well I've not got much choice in the matter, have I?" She snapped "I don't like the idea of this planet being blown to smithereens."

"I'm sure you're not the only one who shares those same sentiments."

"Whatever." She waved her hand dismissively "How much time do I have to prepare?"

"I can spare you five minutes at most. We have to get back to base soon."

" _Great..._ "


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't know what happened.**

 **I also didn't edit this, so expect mistakes. Probably a lot.**

 **Enjoy! And feel free to review, too. Those are always fun to read.**

* * *

Packing up proved easier than Anna initially thought – but that may be because she had her magic to aid her in her semi-panicked scramble to her bedroom. Various items whizzed across the room, zooming toward her moleskin pouch that was perched precariously on the edge of the nightstand. Anna had other things to worry about than her the moleskin tumbling over, and even if it did, nothing would fall out.

Her mind, however, remained occupied on her wardrobe and her state of dress. She didn't know exactly what she signed up for, other than being shown a target and an object of importance (a really, _really_ important object), and she doubted she would need a cocktail dress for that – or a bikini – so her clothing choice was limited.

Deciding quickly, she pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a comfortable jumper, along with a pair of boots.

Dressing quickly, she lethargically flicked her wand toward her wardrobe where similar clothing articles slithered out and floated into her moleskin pouch with ease. That was something she would need to ask Coulson. She didn't know how long this was going to take, but she hoped it wasn't longer than a week – she dreaded coming home to curdled milk and moldy bread.

Once everything was said and done, and the various items finished whizzing around the room, she plucked up the moleskin and tied it around her neck, tucking it securely under her jumper and out of sight.

She cast one last look around her room, idly noting she had forgotten to make her bed this morning, but pleased to see that she hadn't left any used clothing out and that everything was where it was meant to be. Anna nodded to herself, taking a large gulp of air to steady the static that thrummed inside her veins, her magic pulsing rhythmically with her heartbeat.

If she was lucky, she wouldn't have to do anything – S.H.I.E.L.D didn't know much about her abilities, other than her protection barriers, few simple healing spells and her 'stunner'. Anna wasn't shy about her magic, and she declined giving her 'talents' a name when Coulson had interrogated her for the first time, many years ago.

She wanted to remain anonymous, inexistent and as invisible as she could get without resorting to spells and wards. It would have been naïve to assume she had been left alone, unobserved and unchecked after her display in Harlem – it was, however, wishful thinking. S.H.I.E.L.D were slippery, even by her own standards, and she couldn't accurately guess how long they knew where she was. Her magic couldn't tell her everything, unfortunately.

Sighing to herself and reluctantly acknowledging she had everything ready, she slipped out of her bedroom and made her way down the stairs where she heard low grumbling and hissing – Anna quickly sent out another stunner, this time hitting a head of ruffled golden hair. The figure of Captain America promptly dropped forward onto his face, though she doubted it would do him much harm – a nice headache, maybe. But she would deal with that later.

Right now, she did not feel like explaining herself.

Though Coulson didn't seem entirely thrilled with her current choice, still stood in the kitchen where she had left him, making scary faces that bordered on violent. She briefly wondered if he would actually attempt to attack her, but then dismissed the thought.

After all, _he_ need _her_ help and she didn't promise she would make it easy.

"Did you really need to do that?" He questioned through grit teeth, a vein throbbing in his neck and a tic on his cheek.

She shrugged, indifferent. "The world could end tomorrow, I'm sure you've got better things to complain about."

"Miss Black," warned Coulson "Captain America –"

"What is his name, anyway?" Anna cut him off, making her way over to one of her cupboards, her boots clipping lightly on the floorboards "Because if I'm to work with him, I'm going to need a name. His title is a bit of a mouthful."

Anna swore she could hear the grinding of teeth. "If you correctly read over the files I handed you, you would already know." Came Coulson's forced calm and terse response.

"But I didn't," acknowledged Anna, reaching inside the cupboard to pull out a box of Oreos, before spinning to meet Coulson's glare. "And now I'm asking. So, his name?"

The tic in his cheek thumped repeatedly. "Steve Rodgers."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" She snorted "Now, how are we getting to...wherever it is you're taking me?"

Coulson sighed heavily through his nose, his posture relaxing ever so slightly, though his tone remained heavily strained. Anna wondered if he was visualizing strangling her, because he had a glint in his eye that she didn't particularly like. "There is an SUV waiting outside right now, where it will escort us to our private quinjet. From there, we head to base."

Anna quirked an eyebrow, wondering what the hell a 'quinjet' was, but refrained from asking. "Well," she sighed to the suddenly silent kitchen "I'm packed and ready to go. But, one last thing," she gestured to the unconscious man on the floor "Are you going to carrying him, or shall I?"

The tic in his cheek continued to twitch irritably.

* * *

The quinjet turned out to be an advanced form of aircraft, which quite frankly baffled Anna. She had simply assumed it would be private jet she would be boarding, instead she was shown to a sleek and – if she was honest – intimidating hunk of metal with wings that looked like it could rip through her and meet little resistance. And while it appeared small on the outside, the inside remained spacy with plenty of leg room.

She didn't even need to sit next to Coulson or the still unconscious Super Soldier. Though she suspected that he would be waking any moment now.

After carrying out Steve to the SUV (Coulson insisted on carrying him, despite Anna's offer) and setting on their way, they quickly reached their area of destination and were hastily shown in, though Anna was a bit reluctant – she had never flown before, or more specifically, not like this.

The only thing that helped calm her slightly shaken nerves was Coulson – or more like watching his rather short frame heft the tall form Steve over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. It was like watching a child lifting a giant teddy bear, only there was less struggle and more grace. Anna found she was a little jealous.

Coulson strapped Steve in at the front of the quinjet, just behind the pilot and was quick to claim the seat next to him. Anna remained firmly at the back, mainly because she did not want to see Steve's reaction when he inevitably woke up, and because she was short enough to not be spotted over the empty seat in front of her.

He wouldn't even know she was there. Unless Coulson sold her out, of course.

Which was highly likely. So, instead of waiting out the inevitable, Anna buckled down and pressed against the side window, making herself as small as unnoticeable as possible, all the while refraining from disillusioning herself. She doubted that would go over well at the moment, and she pressed her head against the side of the window, feeling the vibrations of the quinjet as the latch shut and they finally took off.

She ignored the swooping sensation in her stomach, and the popping of her ears.

It was a familiar feeling, and she closed her eyes, imaging she was playing quidditch at Hogwarts. It wasn't long before she had fallen fast asleep, her unopened box of Oreos rest on her lap.

She would notice later that they had vanished.

* * *

Anna woke to golden amber light, and a sky dyed in hues of red and pink. Her face was still pressed against the glass of the window, her mouth is open just a crack where a faint trail of drool has run down one corner of her jaw.

She blinks blearily when she notices the light, her cheek still stuffed against the now warm glass, and she carefully peels herself away from it, absentmindedly rubbing away the line of drool.

Her first thought is of weary confusion, unable to place exactly where she is. It takes her mind a moment to reboot itself, and shake out the cobwebs. The first thing she notices is the pale grey blanket thrown across her lap, and a small pillow stuffed neatly behind her head, and she has a fleeting thought of gratitude to whomever had given it to her – before it is promptly shattered.

She jolts forward in her seat, and the pillow slips from behind her and rolls onto the seat to her side. Her heart is suddenly in her throat, and she just manages to spit out a small "shit" while clumsily climbing to her feet.

"Language."

And she is frozen once again, not quite managing to stand up but she is not sitting either, she's stuck in an awkward half squat position with a look of dread hanging from her features. She is suddenly very aware of her wand (still drawn through her messy bun) and the Super Solider just a few seats in front of her.

She blinks again, wondering how long she had been sleeping and wondering how long _he_ has been awake.

Anna really didn't want to deal with this. Not when she has just woken up, with a mouth feeling like it had been stuffed with cotton and a throat that felt like sandpaper whenever she tried to swallow.

She scrunches her eyes shut, plopping back down onto her seat, sighing heavily through her nose. She lazily runs her hands down her face, quietly steeling her nerves because like it or not, Anna is going to have to work with him, despite her embarrassment. It's not like she could knock him out every time she sees him, that would be the very opposite of a healthy working relationship. And she doubted she could get away with it for much longer, if she attempted to try.

But before she could summon the energy to get up and go apologize, she instead decides to get up and head to the rear of the quinjet, toward the tiny cubicle that was easy to miss. She is aware of the twin set of eyes on her back, and she resolutely ignores it for the time being as she slips inside and slides the door shut behind her.

The bathroom is painfully tiny, and she has to hunch forward slightly to fit inside. It's smaller than her old cupboard that she used to live in, her mind helpfully supplies and it only serves to sour her mood. There is a single toilet, a half-used roll of TP and an even smaller sink, but no mirror. But it was workable, and Anna is suddenly very glad she had the foresight to bring her toiletries and spare toothbrush.

She lifts her moleskin pouch from around her neck, casting a silent levitation charm on it while summoning the necessary items. She catches her toothbrush as it flies out, followed by a tube of toothpaste and she is quick to unscrew the lid and add a dollop of the paste onto the toothbrush before shoving it into her mouth.

More items were pulled from the pouch while she brushes her teeth. A small hand mirror was taken out when she put the toothpaste back, and she enlarged it and cast another levitation charm where it hovered above the sink.

She quickly noted that her eyes were puffy due to sleep, and her complexion seemed paler than usual. Her messy bun had become lopsided at some point in her sleep, and large portions of her hair has fallen loose, curling around her face and neck. She grunts in annoyance, and plucks her wand with her free hand, giving it a small flick and she watches as her hair fixes itself with tired eyes until the messy bun is how it should be.

Satisfied, Anna quickly finishes brushing her teeth before washing her face, attempting to wash away the last of her sluggishness.

It didn't take her long to finish up, or pack her things back up. Before Anna knew it, her moleskin pouch was back around her neck and tucked under her jumper once again, and she was standing awkwardly inside the cubicle.

She was procrastinating, and she knew it. Hell, she would bet even Coulson knew it. And probably Steve. Maybe.

When she found that she wasn't getting anywhere by standing there, she grit her teeth and slid back out of the poor excuse of a bathroom. Her gaze flickered to the back of Steve Rodgers head, before her eyes trailed back to her own seat. Maybe she could sneak back to her seat unnoticed, feign sleep and just ignore it? That is an option, right?

"Miss Black?"

Or not.

She plastered a fake smile on her face and straightens up, her gaze snapping back around to the blond Super Soldier who had climbed to his feet and was already heading in her direction. It didn't take him long to reach her, despite how spacy the quinjet is, it's still small – and with his long legs, he reached her within a second.

Anna didn't really get a good look at him when she knocked him out (three times), mainly because she refused to acknowledge him (and partially because she felt guilty about it). She already noticed his muscular and tall build when Coulson had carried him, his blond hair was hard to miss too. What Anna didn't notice was his handsome face. He had light, baby blue eyes, a strong jaw and defined cheekbones with a long, straight nose.

He was also wearing a small smile.

Anna assumes this what swoon-worthy looks like.

Unfortunately, Anna knows that just because someone has a pretty face, it doesn't automatically make them a nice person.

"Mr Rodgers, right?" She finally replies, and from the corner of her eye she notices Coulson peaking back with a look that is practically screaming at her to behave. She refrains from raising an eyebrow back.

His smile stretches just a little, and his voice is kind when he speaks. "Steve Rodgers, Ma'am," he raises his hand in her direction, and she takes it after a moment of hesitation, clasping his hand in a firm grip and shaking it once before letting go. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He concludes.

At this she does raise her eyebrow, incredulous. "Is it really?" She finds herself saying, and she swears she hears choking from nearby.

At this, Steve looks hesitant and unsure. "Ma'am?" He chances a glance back at Coulson, but he's nowhere to be seen, though Anna thinks she saw him duck down.

She blinks up at him, her fake smile has already dropped, and she's beginning to think he's stupid. "I knocked you out." She openly states, and yeah, there's that choking sound again. Steve glances back once again, and she assume he has heard it too, because there's a contemplative expression on his face now.

He clears his throat suddenly when he turns to face her again, the baby blues of his eyes showing remorse. "You had every right to do that." He reaches up hand to rub the back of his neck, and his voice is sheepish. "I apologize for breaking into your house, I hope you can forgive me."

This catches Anna off guard, and she physically reels back. That is now she assumed this would go down, and she hadn't properly planned for this kind of scenario. "Excuse me?" There's annoyance in her voice, and she isn't certain where it has come from.

"Miss Black?" Steve hedges, unsure of her abrupt reaction.

She rudely jabs a finger in his direction, her green eyes narrowing into slits. "No."

He pauses in rubbing his neck, eyes widening a fraction as he lets his hand drop. "Pardon?"

"You don't get to apologize. Nope. No, no, no. Nu uh. Take it back."

She's not sure where this is going, and she only knows she's mildly ticked off. She decides to just go with it.

"I'm not sure...?" There's still uncertainty in his voice, perhaps even nervousness.

"I want you to take back your apology." She states simply.

"But I –"

"Take it back." She states more firmly.

"I don't think –"

"Don't make me say it again, or you will find yourself unconscious a fourth time."

He swallows visibly, but there is a trace of amusement in his eyes. In the background, the choking noise continues. Anna wonders if Coulson is doing okay.

Steve seems to finally accept his defeat, because he bows his head. "I... take back my apology, then." It almost sounds like a question, but Anna accepts it nonetheless, and her shoulders slump in relief and her smile is back in place – a real one this time. Steve only looks confused.

"Good," she breathes a sigh "But I think it's me who should apologize...for the last two times I knocked you out." She pauses, before adding as an afterthought "And for threatening to do it again."

His lip twitches, and understanding is dawning in his gaze, the confusion quickly washed away. "I'll forgive you if you promise not to do...whatever it is you did, again." He mirthfully offers.

Anna beams joyfully. "Nope."

And now Steve is back to being confused. Anna vaguely notices that the choking noise has abruptly cut off. But before Steve could open his mouth to reply, he is cut off by another voice, and a shiver runs down Anna's back at the tone.

" _Miss Black_."

It's a voice that promises pain, should she continue talking.

Hesitantly, she looks over Steve's shoulder to Coulson, who is standing near the cockpit, his hair slightly mussed and there is a wild, almost feral glint in his eye. The vein in his neck pulses angrily.

"We land in ten minutes." Coulson continues, his voice a forced calm, but the undertones remain blatantly obvious. "Best prepare."

It sounds like a threat.

Another shiver rolls down her back, and the hairs on her neck stand erect.

She doubts she will sleep tonight.

 _Note to self_ , Anna faintly thinks, _don't piss off Coulson._

* * *

 **Whenever I imagine Coulson in my head, I imagine a fierce and heavily protective fanboy. Or maybe a Mama-Bear. Whichever it is, it amuses me.**

 **Also, this chapter was not supposed to go down like this. But, things happen? I guess? I like it, and now I have a general idea on what I'm going to do with this fic! So, yey? There is going to be canon changes, because I honest hate just writing out a script, and because keeping things as straight as an arrow is boring as hell to write. There will be certain events that will be the same, because some things have to happen.**

 **Anyway, I want to thank the lovely people who reviewed, faved and followed! It means so much to me, you have no idea.**

 **Ah, before I forget, paring wise, how do you guys feel about that? Because I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but I know I want romance in at some point. (I will point out now, Anna has no attraction to Steve at this current point, but she acknowledges his handsomeness). Parings do not strictly have to be from the Avengers, I will add. Like Bucky, for example.**

 **But ah, feel free to suggest?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Chapter 3 is here. I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **I would like to thank the lovely people how reviewed, faved and followed. Seriously, you guys are awesome. I genuinely did not expect to many people to review – or even read this, at all.**

* * *

If there was such a place similar to hell on earth, Anna was certain It was known as the Helicarrier.

They had landed in silence, Anna making sure to keep her distance from Coulson, and was the first down the ramp when the back hatch opened. Her legs heavy and shaking from the long flight, and it was a similar sensation to her first time flying a broom. Though it wasn't something she liked to remember, because her stomach was suddenly in knots, but not because of nerves.

It was because of the contraption she had walked onto.

There were two long runways, in which large accumulations of workers teamed together, hefting large crates and cables across the ground, while others congregated around various other models of quinjets (Anna assumed they were quinjets, anyway) that lined each side of the runway, each looking just as deadly and menacing as the last.

The Helicarrier rumbled under her feet and she could feel the subtle vibrations, and it did nothing to help her nausea.

Why did she agree to this again?

"Anna Black?"

She jerked wobblily to the side, her gaze catching a familiar sight as the figure prowled toward her, feet silent and graceful in their movement. She had to blink to make sure she was seeing correctly.

"Natalie Rushman? The fuck you doing here?" She cringed at her crude greeting, but shoved it aside for the time being.

"Language, Miss Black." Scolded Steve as he stepped down the ramp with Coulson. Anna carefully hedged away.

Anna sniffed, but didn't grace him with a response. Her interest remained fully on the red-head that had stepped up to greet them with a saccharine smile, and Anna got the impression that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. "It's good to see you again, Anna."

"Yeah, I really doubt that."

Natalie's smile widened. "How are your subscriptions doing?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. "I didn't order any subscriptions," she paused, contemplatively "But I'm assuming it was you who kept leaving me those frilly gift baskets at my door?"

Anna has been receiving regular gift baskets for the past year and a half, each time with something new or interesting. It was often face creams and moisturizers, and she has thought on more than one occasion if someone was trying to tell her something. Usually the gift basket would have a small pamphlet, showcasing various other new products.

But she wasn't interested.

Mainly because of the crazy sales lady – or, specifically, Natalie Rushman, whom up until several months ago had made it her life mission to weasel Anna into buying her stuff – sometimes going as far as to stalk her (or Anna assumed she did, because Natalie had a tendency to show up at random and sprout nonsense about new products). One day she just stopped showing up, and Anna was partially relieved and kind of worried. Though Anna can fully confirm she did not give in, and did not buy any of the questionable products.

It didn't stop the gift baskets from coming, however.

If Anna was anyone else, she would have assumed Natalie had a crush on her. But Anna thoroughly believed the woman just very dedicated to her job, and didn't take 'no' as an answer. Even if she was a bit odd.

"Agent Romanoff?"

" _Agent_?" Echoed Anna, her gaze snapping to an impassive Coulson, though she went unheard.

"They need you on The Bridge. They're starting the face-trace."

Anna looked between Coulson and _Agent Romanoff_ suspiciously.

"See you there."

Coulson was about to take off – to wherever this 'bridge' was – before he paused and glanced back at Anna. Anna, for her part, stood ramrod straight, eyeing him back from the corner of her eye, her lips pressing tightly together and visibly paling against the pressure. He seemed to nod to himself, either coming to a decision or satisfied about something, she had no idea, but he quickly left after that, and she found she could finally relax.

Yeah, she definitely wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

"I see you and Coulson still get along," commented Natalie, her eye on Coulson's retreating back, before turning back to her.

"I wouldn't go that far," she muttered.

Natalie looked amused, and she finally tuned to acknowledge an awkward Steve Rogers, who looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. Anna didn't blame him. "You must be Captain Rogers. I have to say, you made quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice and all. I've never seen Coulson look so giddy – has he asked you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"

"Trading –"

"Oi," snapped Anna, because she knew what Natalie was doing, completely shifting the conversation somewhere that didn't involve herself. She often did that with her selling products, and it was annoying as hell. She wagged her finger at the unsurprised red-head, who cooling watched Anna with vague amusement. "Nu uh, don't start your sh–"

" _Ahem_."

"–it here. I want to know why the hell Coulson called you _Agent_." She taps her foot impatiently, "And don't try and bullshit –"

" _Miss Black!_ "

"–Your way out of it, either. We're both trapped on this bloody monstrosity, and I can and will stick to you like an annoying fucking rash until I get my answers. So –"

"Excuse me?"

" _What?!_ " Anna finally snapped, whirling around and expecting to see a very disapproving Steve. Instead she was greeted with messy brown hair, glasses and a startled expression. Her jaw was suddenly hanging low, and she felt a sting of embarrassment.

Oh, she knew this man. Kind of. Almost.

"Uh, hi?" Said the startled man, looking nervous and apprehensive.

"I see you've finally made it, Doctor Banner." Natalie hummed her part, mirth shining in her pale eyes.

Doctor Banner. As in, Bruce Banner. As in, _the Hulk_. Oh.

Anna mentally facepalmed.

"I suppose I have," politely replies the still nervous man, his gaze flickering between Anna and Steve. "I, uh, heard your voices from across the way. Thought I should introduce myself." He shrugged, and Anna's eyes were drawn to his baggy shit that seemed to hang from his frame. It looked like it has seen better days.

When it became obvious Anna wasn't going to say another other than stare, mouth gaping stupidly, Steve decided to intervene and thrust out his hand to shake, to which Bruce hesitantly complied. "Dr Banner," the Super Solider greeted with a small nod after clasping hands.

"I heard you'd be coming." Bruce acknowledged.

"Word is you can find the cube."

"Is that the only word on me?"

"Only word I care about."

Anna turned back to Natalie, who still looked amused, and still remained frustratingly tight lipped. "You didn't read through the profiles, did you?" She teased, eyeing Anna from the corner of her gaze.

Anna felt her ears burn. "Not...entirely true. I just got a bit sidetracked." She paused, before adding "Blame Coulson."

Natalie cocked a brow. "Oh?" And there was suddenly a smirk on her face and Anna didn't like it one bit. "Now that you mention it, Coulson seems a bit...off. What did you do to him?"

Anna stiffened, offering a quick and terse "Nothing."

It sounded painfully suspicious, and Natalie's smirk widened. "I have my ways of finding out, you know."

"I don't fucking doubt it." She grumbled.

Natalie had a horrible habit of turning up at the most inconvenient times, and the most unexpected. It was like she just appears, as if by magic – Anna had to snort at the thought, because no, Natalie did not have a trace of magic on her. And Anna knows witches and wizards do not exist in this world. Perhaps in another life, Natalie may have been born a witch, but as it stands, she's just _that good_.

"I take it you didn't expect to see him?" Comments Natalie, sounding nonchalant. Anna is suddenly given the impression that Natalie is fishing for something, but she doesn't know what.

dubiously, she side-eyes the 'Agent'. "I wasn't sure what to make of it when I was given his file," she confessed "This doesn't seem like his kind of thing."

"No. It isn't."

They both pause to glance at Bruce, who is quietly conversing with Steve just off the way, near the edge of the Helicarrier. Anna wonders when they managed to sneak away, and she suddenly comes to a silent agreement that she needs better situational awareness. That, or everyone needs to stop being so god damn quiet.

"So," chirps Anna with false cheer, turning back to the red-head " _Agent Romanoff_ , care to tell me your real name?"

Natalie snorts. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours."

"Potter."

Her head whips around, and Anna is pleased to see the surprise in her expression, her mouth is parted and her eyebrows are raised high. Anna quirks one back, and gestures with her hand for her to say something. "It's...Natasha." She slowly replies.

Anna feel disappointment, and something in her expression must have given it away, because Natalie – or rather, Natasha lets out a sudden laugh.

"I should have expected that," huffs Anna "But I'm curious to know how you knew Black isn't my real name."

Natasha shrugs, completely unbothered by the probe. "It's not really a surprise. You showed up out of the blue, with no background and no facial recognition that could be traced. You also insisted in your previous interviews with S.H.I.E.L.D that Black was your given surname. We had no way of telling if you were telling the truth, and you just confirmed that."

"I also insisted I didn't exist. We had an agreement. But now...not so much."

"Things change."

"Now you sound like Coulson."

"Why did you tell me?"

Anna hummed nonsensically, crossing her arms across her chest. "I wanted to know your name, since apparently you're not here to sell me face creams and hand wash, and because Coulson called you Romanoff and not Rushman." She paused, before adding "So now I learn you work for S.H.I.E.L.D and you've probably been spying on me for who knows how long."

"Very astute." Said Natasha "But also not the entire truth."

Anna snorts, shrugging. "The truth is I prefer Black over Potter, and that's that. I'm just Anna Black now."

"Now?"

 _Oh_ , thought Anna, internally cringing, _she caught that_.

"Yup." She forces more false cheer into her voice, managing to stretch her lips into a wide grin. "Just Anna Black, not Potter."

Natasha was about to retort, but she stopped suddenly, her face becoming neutral so quick it was like she put on a mask, her head cocking to the side as if listening to someone. Anna was a little unnerved by this.

Barely a moment passed before Natasha straightened up, and spoke in a professional sounding voice. "We should get inside soon, the Director is expecting us." She states "I'll round up Banner and the Captain, you should wait by the door."

She gestures idly behind her, and Anna follows her trail, landing on the door that Natasha had pointed out. But before she headed off, she turns back to the Agent.

"Do you often listen to the voices in your head?" She jokes.

Natasha's lip twitches, and Anna counts that as a win.

* * *

"It's fucking flying. Why the hell didn't you tell me it could fly?"

"You never asked."

"I didn't think I had to!"

Anna had been guided in by Natasha, with Bruce and Steve quickly following in behind, and brought to what was dubbed 'The Bridge'. She was quickly coming to the conclusion that this is her least favorite place – possibly in the whole world. The ground shook beneath her feet, sending tremors up her legs, and to her annoyance, no one else seemed bothered by it.

There was a flurry of activity by the time they made it through the sliding glass doors, computer screens lit up with an assortment of information that she couldn't make out – though the image of the tesseract often popped up from what she could see.

Her voice was very nearly drowned out by the loud chatter, and her frustration grew, which was aided by the rumbling of engines from outside.

The Helicarrier was also destroying her love of flying, very quickly, and she suddenly couldn't wait for this all to be over and done with.

Currently, she was stationed next to Natasha, who was watching one of the computer screens with an intense expression. Anna was also coming to the decision she preferred the stalker version of the agent, at least she wasn't so intense to be around.

"Wont we be seen?" Nervously asks Anna, peering up at the large windows that showed the outside sky. They were already heading above the clouds, and she quietly hopes the rumbling would stop soon.

"Reflective mirrors." Flippantly replies Natasha.

To which Anna snarks back, snippy and put out. "Oh, of course. How silly of me for not thinking of that first."

"Miss black" her head whips around, and oh, there's another familiar face. "You're still as annoying as ever."

"And you still have one eye." Anna grins widely, showing more teeth than necessary "Tell me something fucking new."

" _Language_." Steve calls from across the way, and Anna has no idea how he heard her, because she can't even see him from her position.

"Besides that!" She thoughtlessly calls back, her gaze never leaving the form of one Nick Fury, current Director of S.H.I.E.L.D and one major pain in her ass. She is certain the sentiment goes both way.

Bruce is trailing slowly behind the Director as they made his way towards her, and Anna wonders how he can be so calm in such a hectic environment. She's kind of impressed.

When Fury makes it just a few paces away, he eyes her up and down with an unreadable expression, and Anna fights to keep herself from crossing her arms defensively. "I see you accepted my offer." He plainly states.

"It wasn't much of an offer." She retorts "I just don't exactly like the idea of the world going tits up."

His lip twitches, already forming into a small smirk. "Sentiments we all share, I assure you." He takes the last few steps toward her, but he still remains a good distance away. Anna doesn't blame him, with the job he has, he's probably more paranoid than Mad-Eye. Bruce, surprisingly enough, is the one who comes closer, but just like Fury, he keeps a reasonable distance. "I hear you didn't read the profiles."

And any civility she had for him is now nonexistent.

"Blame Coulson." She petulantly snaps, this time she does cross her arms, and angles her body away from him. She hears Natasha snort from beside her, though her attention still remained firmly on the computer.

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Bruce pipes up, looking between Anna and Fury with a curious expression. "Why wasn't she in the profiles?"

"Has everyone but me read those damn profiles?" She grumbles to herself, to which Natasha hums an affirmative, and she shoots her a small glare, which goes unnoticed.

"Miss Black is a special case," elaborates Fury "And a last-minute edition. Any and all information on her current skillset has already been placed within its own profile. I can have one sent down to your new lab."

Bruce is nodding along, and Anna feels a flare of annoyance. "Oh, hello? Did you forget I was right here?" Is her sarcastic response, dragging attention back to herself "And what _exactly_ is written in my profile?" She really wants to know, because she understands that they know very little from what she showcased in the past – and that was all accidental.

Did she slip up without realizing?

"Honestly?" Snorts Fury "A whole load of nothing – which I hope we can rectify once this problem has been cleared up." That wasn't entirely true, S.H.I.E.L.D knew three types of her long and extensive abilities. It wasn't much of a stretch to assume she could do more, considering the conflicting nature of her already known talents.

"I hope you like disappointment."

"We'll see how you feel at the end of all this, shall we?"

"I highly doubt I'll change my mind."

"We'll see about that."

She snorted after a moment, and the Director remained with serious expression. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation, though it differed each time. "So, I take it you brought me in for extra muscle?"

His expression didn't change. "Essentially," he drawled "You'll be backing up Captain Rodgers, should anything happen."

"Wait, what?" They both turned to Bruce, and unsurprisingly, Natasha hadn't even turned away from the computer screen. "You mean to say that she is..." Here he gestured toward Anna, and she couldn't help but feel affronted by this, visibly bristling. "Extra muscle? Her? She is..."

"She is _what_?" Anna hissed through grit teeth, eyes narrowed into slits.

Bruce raised his hands placatingly, taking one nervous step back, his expression hesitant. "Ah...I mean to say, uh... _tiny_." He finished lamely, cringing visibly.

Anna flushed brightly when the Director threw his head back and laughed sharply, drawing shocked attention to himself. Even Natasha paused to glance up, her eyebrows raised high. Bruce was nervously rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, while the other fiddled with his glasses. He didn't even attempt to look in her direction, and Anna bit back a bitter remark.

It wasn't that she was small – well, no, she is pretty small, though she wasn't abnormally tiny. She was a few inches shorter than Natasha. But when the Hulk is your alter ego, everything must seem small. Perhaps there was some irony in that statement. Even so, it pissed Anna off, especially with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D laughing at her.

Anna doesn't cut an imposing or intimidating figure, anyone would know this. Even she knew this. Anna was sweet faced and innocent looking (until she opens her mouth or physically stuns someone). However, that doesn't mean she can't change their opinion of her.

Bruce was only so lucky that he had the Other Guy. If it had been anyone else, she would have already laid them out.

"Mr Banner," she calls out once Fury settled down, her expression forced serene, and Bruce looks up skittishly "If you ever make another crack at my height in future, you will find you will not like my response."

His eyes bugged for a moment, and Anna gave herself a mental pat on the back. Bruce hastily shook his head. "I – I never meant it like that," he stuttered out "I'm sorry if I offended you, I really wasn't...er, making fun of you."

He was sincere, Anna realized with raised eyebrows. And for some reason, Neville popped into her head, and she felt guilt for her light threat. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily. "Apology accepted," she grumbled "Just...don't call me tiny, okay?"

Natasha and Fury snorted in unison, and she sent them a fleeting glare.

"Oh, yeah, I can do that." He bobbed his head, curls of brow hair bouncing with the motion, and his nervousness seemed to drain out of him. Was she really that scary? She doubted it. She probably resembled a barking pup than anything.

"If you are both done?" Said Fury in a bland tone, any previous humor wiped clean. "Agent Romanoff?"

"Director Fury?" Replies Natasha, turning to face her superior.

He gestures toward Anna and Bruce. "If you could show Dr Banner to his laboratory, and Miss Black to her quarters, please."

"Yes, Sir."

Anna got the vague impression she was being sent to her room like a scolded child.

The thought amused her as Natasha showed her back out.

* * *

 **Going over this, I feel a little disappointed with myself. It's kind of quick paced, which I have been hoping to avoid. But hopefully, the next chapter is better once I go over it (Chapter 4 is already complete, standing at around 7,670 words). This may be because I re-read it too fast, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that.**

 **(I feel I should note, dialogue is my weak point and something I'm trying to fix. This fanfic is an exercise for me, and the more I write, the better it flows. The upcoming chapter, especially, fits better, or in my opinion.)**

 **If there are any questions that you have, feel free to ask me.**

 **Also, I would like to hear your opinions on future parings (I'm still undecided).**

 **And lastly: Any and all updates are posted on my profile page, which will show progress on future chapters.**

 **Feel free to leave a comment! I'm kinda addicted to feedback:3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N at the bottom.**

* * *

"How the hell do you even fit into these things?" Wheezed Anna.

"Practice."

Anna thinks she should have powdered herself up, because now she is very worried about chaffing. "I think this is a size too small."

"Anything else would have been too big, I'm afraid."

"But still..." She inspects herself in mirror, the skintight one-piece suit that S.H.I.E.L.D had issued her only served to cut off her oxygen supply. It may have flattered her figure, but it wasn't worth it. She turned to her side, watching herself in the mirror, and promptly froze. "Oh, my god. It's squeaks. Why the fuck does it squeak?"

She flexed her arm experimentally, and sure enough, there it was. The creaking of pulling, stretchy leather material seemed obnoxiously loud.

"It's brand new."

"That doesn't help me, Romanoff," snapped Anna "It's way too tight. Have I mentioned that? But that fucking squeaking..."

"You get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it. Cant I get something else?"

"I would offer but I'm afraid you're too... _tiny_."

"Oh, you are _hilarious_." Groused Anna, turning to her other side to continue inspecting herself. Her hands ran down the front of the suit she was given, as if to flatten out any wrinkles. The material desperately clung to her, and Anna could probably imagine herself wearing this kind of thing for special occasions – though whatever occasion that would be, she has yet to decide. But whichever it was, it was something that should only be worn once, for a short amount of time.

The material itself was a dark shade of blue, close to black. On the front in bold letters, it held the S.H.I.E.L.D logo. Yeah, that will have to go, Anna decided.

"It looks good on you. You suit it." Natasha nonchalantly commented, reclined comfortably on the bed on the other side of the small room. The sleeping quarters wasn't really noteworthy, in Anna's opinion, it seemed pretty generic. Single bed, mirror and a night stand. But the room was hers for the time being, and it wasn't like it was terrible. Though she doubts the bed is very comfy. At least there was a small adjoining bathroom, though it was as pathetic as the quinjet bathroom – at least this one had a small shower cubicle.

"Why can't I just wear my own clothes, again?"

Anna spun round to face the red-head, her one-piece suit squeaking with the movement, and Anna forcefully ignored it for the time being, fisting her hands onto her hips with an annoyed frown.

Natasha offered a saccharine smile and sat up straight. "Your clothing would not hold up well, if a fight was to happen." She states simply. "With a S.H.I.E.L.D issued suit, you are guaranteed more protection that a thin jumper."

Anna puffed up, annoyed. "I like my jumper."

"I don't doubt that."

Anna huffed, but didn't reply, too busy attempting to adjust the suit to make it more breathable.

Currently, it was nearing midday, and she had been aboard the Helicarrier for only a few hours – most of which was spent in her new sleeping area. After dropping Bruce off at the lab, Natasha was quick to pull her through a series of corridors toward her designated spot, only leaving when one of the S.H.I.E.L.D employees dropped the suit off, giving her time to change.

Anna had the sneaking suspicion that Natasha was sent to keep an eye on her. It was kind of silly, because S.H.I.E.L.D knew she could stun her and easily walk away to do her own thing if she wanted to. That, or Natasha was feeling sentimental, having missed several months of 'stalking Anna'. Anna didn't know how she felt about that, actually, and was vaguely creeped out by the thought.

"One moment," muttered Anna, realizing her suit was going to give her more problems if she didn't fix it soon.

Anna shuffled into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her quickly, her wand already in her hand before the door had even shut. Wordlessly, she removed the S.H.I.E.L.D logo from the front of the suit, leaving no mark behind or anything to indicate that it had even been there in the first place. Secondly, she tapped her wand to her collar, and she felt the suit stretch and grow, until it fit her properly without restricting her breathing or movements.

And lastly, Anna cast a silencing charm over her outfit, because she was not dealing with an embarrassing and squeaky suit.

Anna took one large breath after that, pleased to note that there was no tightness.

When she emerged back into the bedroom, Natasha was still sat on the bed, her eyebrow raised in surprise. "That was quick..." She slowly said, eye zeroing in on the missing S.H.I.E.L.D insignia, before doing a quick one over on the rest of Anna's outfit. Soon, her other eyebrow raised, almost reaching her hairline. "Care to explain?"

Anna could only stare innocently back, and she knew without a doubt that Natasha would report this back to Fury, she has probably already told him her real name too. But Anna wasn't too bothered about that, she just wondered what Natasha would say to the Director, and she doubted 'sudden fashion modifications' would be an important observation.

Or, at least she didn't think so.

What could they really do about it, anyway? Removing their logo wasn't that impressive. And it wasn't like Anna was actively trying to hide her abilities – or rather, she was, but not on purpose. People wouldn't react well if she told them she could turn them into a steaming pile of –

"Your suit isn't squeaking." Natasha's voice cut through her thoughts, and Anna turned her gaze toward the suspicious sounding Agent.

Anna shrugged. "I got used to it."

* * *

At some point during the day, Anna learns her Oreos are missing, and she knows for a fact that she did not put it inside her moleskin. So, it really begs the question of 'where could it have gone?'. Anna would know if she had transfigured it to have legs, so it's not like it could have grown its own legs and run away. She had it on the flight to the Helicarrier, she was positive, she had them on her lab, unopened.

She felt stupid for not realizing this earlier, and it brought back her thoughts on situational awareness – something she was sorely lacking – and she bets that Mad-Eye is rolling in his grave. He would be extremely disappointed in her, and she can't find it in herself to blame him, either.

But her sweet tooth is begging for attention, and her mouth is salivating at the thought of cookies, so it is with this thought process that brings her back to The Bridge with Natasha hot at her heels and a curious expression on her face. Anna has her suspects already lined up, and she is hesitant to confront one-person unparticular, so she decides to go with her second suspect.

One Captain America, who is situated at a long, oval, glass table and Anna is quick to take the seat directly across from him, swiftly bypassing a distracted Fury and Coulson – who notices her entrance, and sends a look that was loaded with something secretive, and Anna doubts it's anything good. She resolutely does not look in his direction.

She can feel his eyes burning into the back of her head.

"Miss Black?" Ah, so the Director has finally noticed her, and it draws the attention of Steve Rogers, who had been staring off toward the S.H.I.E.L.D workers, probably impatient with the lack of progress so far.

"Shh..." She waves her hand idly in the direction of Fury, her gaze intent on a confused looking Super Soldier.

She hears Natasha snort, and there is a few whispered mutters from behind her back, and she can't make out what is said. If Anna had to guess, Natasha was probably reporting her finds to the Director. Whatever it is, his attention is quickly drawn away, and Anna doesn't know if she should be thankful or annoyed.

However, right now, she has more important matters to deal with.

She places her hands onto the table, and clasps them gently, her expression deadly serious. Steve seems to straighten up at this, and his confusion is washed away and replaced with something equally serious, or perhaps concern. Anna can't quite tell.

"We have a serious problem on our hands." She states slowly, her expression never changing.

His gaze briefly flickers in the direction of Fury – or maybe Coulson – before returning to her.

"Ma'am?"

"An important item has been stolen." She continues, before adding as an afterthought "The effects of this could potentially be catastrophic."

Steve freezes, and she has his complete attention. Anna quickly figures out that _this_ is his serious face, and it looks kind of scary, but she doesn't waver. But before he can open his mouth to reply, he is cut off by Coulson, who has already stridden over to stand at the head of the table.

"I don't think you should encourage her, Captain Rogers."

Anna snaps her head up, glowering irritably. Steve is back to being confused, and she quietly curses Coulson, because she almost had him. Her hands fall from the table and she folds her arms across her chest, huffing loudly. "I _am_ serious." She grumbles stubbornly.

"And I doubt whatever you have to say holds any importance of our mission." Counters Coulson.

"You can't know that." scoffs Anna.

Steve glances between the two, before settling back on Anna. "Miss Black, what seems to be the problem?" He gently placates.

She sniffs indignantly. "There are thieves among us."

"This is a spy agency, Miss Black," Coulson deadpans, as if she is stupid. "Surely it is self-explanatory? It's something we sometimes have to do."

Her hand suddenly slams down on the table, drawing the attention of Fury and Natasha, who pause in their mutters to look up. Even a few of the workers have stopped to see what is going on, but Anna continues on uninterrupted. "Do you steal from comrades?" Her tone is grave, and all she receives for this is bewildered looks.

Coulson remains unimpressed. "Where are you going with this?"

Anna narrows her eyes, and she leans forward, enunciating her words clearly. "You. Know. What."

Steve seems to click on straight away at her words, and he almost seems to shoot forward. "Has Coulson stolen something from you?" He asks, his tone gentle but firm, and she can see the disapproval in his eyes.

Anna nods solemnly. "When I was asleep, on the quinjet." Anna has no way of telling if Coulson is the one who stole her Oreos, but she's just going with it now. She may even be reimbursed, if she plays her cards right. "He swooped in like a thief in the night, and made away with my... _belonging_."

"Fuck sake..." Mutters Coulson, and it would seem he has finally clicked on too. Though he may have already known, Anna isn't sure, because he has a really good poker face and she can't exactly read minds without turning someone into a vegetable. But she can assume he has always known.

" _Language_!"

And oh, doesn't that feel good? Not having that directed toward her, and at Coulson, no less. Coulson, for his part, looks almost heartbroken at Steve's scolding, as if he were a kicked puppy looking for forgiveness. That is, until he turns to look at her, and there is a wildness in his eye, feral almost, and it just like the look he gave her on the quinjet.

Anna is quick to get out of her seat to back away, because _nope_. She just wanted her cookies, not a pissed of agent that knew creative and inventive ways to kill her. With his pinky.

Maybe she took this too far?

"Miss Black," surprisingly, it is Fury who is her saving grace, but she will never tell him this. "Stop upsetting my Agent."

He side-eyes her as he walks past, and there is a flicker of knowing in his gaze. Anna suspects Natasha spilled the beans, but she's not too worried about that at the moment. She currently has a very pissed off agent who is no doubt thinking up unique ways to murder her and hide her body. His eyes were very telling.

"Then tell him to stop stealing my Oreos!" She manages one last remark before scuttling over to Natasha, who is stood behind one of the workers at a computer, and there is data there that makes no sense to Anna what so ever. Actually, she doesn't understand a thing, but she doesn't have to tell anyone that. On the top right-hand corner of the screen, there is also an image of a fair-haired man holding a bow, and for some reason she finds this odd, because he doesn't look like a Loki – assuming this is the man they are looking for.

She decides not to argue it.

Instead, she turns to Natasha, and is about to say something when suddenly the worker at the computer shoots up to his feet, and he is talking before she can even take a breath.

"We got a hit!" He declares loudly, and the buzz of chattering on The Bridge comes to an abrupt stop. Fury is already striding over before the man even finished talking, and Coulson and Steve are quick to follow. "Sixty-seven percent, match." He continues to rattle off more details, and there is a flare of hope inside of Anna. Maybe she can put an end to this quickly, and be home before midnight.

"Location?" Orders Coulson.

If anna was paying attention, she would see that the picture of the man in the corner of the computer screen was not Loki, but the video footage that was suddenly showing, is. But she is too busy trying to stay out of Coulson's direct line of sight, and is already shuffling toward the door, eager to get this over with.

"Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding."

All hope shrivels up inside her, because Germany is not in America, and it may take a while to get there.

"Captain, best suit up fast." Said Fury, and Steve is already striding past her, and Anna is suddenly jealous of his long legs, because she wishes she could walk that fast. Sure, she can run fast, but walking fast would be a nice thing to have. "Miss Black?"

She turns to meet the Directors gaze. "Don't fuck this up." It's a threat, Anna can tell, and she itches to flip him the bird. She knows what she's doing, damn it. "Now get your ass moving, we don't have much time."

* * *

They're on the quinjet, and Natasha is their pilot – which is nice, Anna thinks. Kind of. At least it's not Coulson, who had seen them off, or rather, he saw Steve off with a firm pat on the back and admiration in his eye. Anna received a death-threat via eye contact, instead.

Before boarding, Natasha has requested if she needed any guns or equipment – which, _no_. That is a bad idea, and is not something she should be trusted with. Handling a gun is beyond her, and she would sooner shoot herself in the face trying to figure it out. It would be in everyone's best interest if she was kept away from them.

Natasha had been skeptical, wondering after her weapon of choice, and more than once, her gaze flickered to her wand that was still pierced through her messy bun. She made no move to comment on it, though the question silently hung in the air. Anna didn't feel inclined to elaborate, and had quickly shuffled off into the quinjet, taking her seat near the cockpit.

It wasn't long before they took off. Anna was a bit apprehensive when Steve didn't buckle himself in, and she worried he would topple over and possibly crush her. Instead he stood just off to the side, watching Natasha navigate them out of the Helicarrier and into the air. He had remarkable balance, and it was definitely something Anna wished she had.

It was about half an hour into their flight that Steve finally decided to take a seat opposite her, and she couldn't tell if he was tired of standing up or just bored.

What she didn't expect, however, was for him to start up a conversation with her.

"What part of Britain are you from?"

It has been a long time since anyone had asked her this question, and she couldn't remember the last time she answered it. S.H.I.E.L.D, of course, have asked – or rather, _demanded_ she answer. England had seemed like a suitable answer, and they weren't pleased with that at all. But that was quite a while ago, and she couldn't really remember if she told which part she was from.

So, Anna shrugs, offering a flat "Surrey."

He bobs his head, as if he knows exactly where she is speaking of. It was nice, almost. Better than being demanded or ordered to answer.

"Where are you from?" She tackles on, because she is curious. She has heard the name Captain America in passing, but she knows next to jack shit about him.

The man in question seems surprised by this, but he complies nonetheless. "Brooklyn, New York."

"Oh," she hums, because it wasn't really that interesting, but she was attempting to be polite and interested. Though she suspects she sounds sarcastic, because Steve rolls his eyes at her. "That...nice?"

She hears Natasha snort from up front.

"Your profile says you can create...barriers?" Steve decides to ask next, and Anna is surprised. That's quite a leap from asking where is from, to asking confirmation about her ability.

"Wait, did Fury really create a profile on me?" She sounds incredulous, as if she doubted he would really do it. She kind of didn't. And now she's wondering why she didn't get a copy.

Steve throws her a shy smile, looking slightly awkward. "I... requested a copy. I heard Dr Banner talking to the Director about it, when we arrived."

Anna snorts in disbelief. "It's not even been a full day, too." she grumbles "So Banner has a copy as well, I take it?"

He shrugs. "If he does, I wouldn't know. But about the – the barriers? Shield? I'm not sure what you call it."

"Shield. Barrier. Guard. Call it what you like. My barriers are essentially impenetrable, though I don't recommend testing that – last person to try ended up with a concussion. And when I say person, I mean Coulson."

Now it's Steve's turn to look shocked, and Anna is certain she hears sniggering from the cockpit. Instead, she decides to elaborate. "In all fairness, _he_ ran into it. And kinda... _bounced_ into a wall." She paused, before adding "It was a while ago, and I don't think he ever forgave me for it, either. Even though it wasn't my fault."

He shakes his head, and decides to shift the conversation forward. "How does it work?"

Anna has to hold back a snort, because how does one explain magic? She shrugs instead, and eloquently replies with "I dunno." Because that's the only way she can explain it, without revealing what she really is.

Steve looks disappointed, and she can't understand why. For a brief moment, she wonders if Fury has asked Steve to try and get information out of her. She hopes this is not the case, because Steve doesn't seem like a bad guy – even though he broke into her apartment.

Eventually, he settles on a different question. "How many people can you, uh, _shield_?"

She purses her lips, and has to think the question over before answering. "That is...debatable." She says slowly, and Steve urges her to continue with a tiny nod. She frowns, her brows crinkling together "Last time I used it on a wide scale, it was in Harlem. I've never tested stretching it out, so I can't say for certain how far my reach is." She pauses, realizing something important "Shouldn't that have been in my profile data?"

Steve shakes his head in a negative. "It only states the bare bones. Personality, name, age and skills."

She perks up, interested. "Oh? And what did they have on my personality?"

His lip twitches. "The word ' _annoying_ ' often repeats."

Anna makes a noise of insult, and Steve flashes her a grin. She tries very hard not to flip him off. "I'm not _that_ annoying."

"I'm sure," he humorously replies "But when you say wide scale, do you have an estimate number?"

She shrugs. "I really don't know."

Though, Natasha, the ever-helpful Agent, decides to point out from the cockpit "A couple hundred, and those were the ones who couldn't evacuate fast enough."

Steve's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Anna huffs. "I would love to know how you know that." She curiously calls back, because even she didn't know how many she managed to shield. Maybe she lost count along the way?

"Eye-witnesses and CCTV." Is Natasha's response, as if that explains it. It really didn't. Her shields were invisible. However, Natasha seemed to sense her confusion, and added on "S.H.I.E.L.D managed to get statements from the civilians, and there were plenty more that came forward to give their own experience on the matter. It gave us a rough number, though it's not exact. It could be more, for all we know."

Anna rolls her eyes, because _of course_. They really liked knowing things.

Steve whistled lowly "That's pretty impressive, and very useful if things go south."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Agreed." Natasha and Steve echo.

For a moment, Anna assumed the conversation topic had been dropped, but it appeared Steve was still curious. "What went down in Harlem, anyway?"

"Are you sure _you're_ not the one who forgot to read the profiles?" Quips Natasha.

"Oi!" Barks Anna, before quietly adding "I didn't forget."

Anna goes ignored. "In short, the Hulk decided to get into a fight – "

– "With Abomination." Helpfully chimes in Anna.

"And it got messy. There was a lot of collateral, but luckily no death's."

"So, I take it this wasn't in the profile?" Anna wryly tacked on.

Steve shook his head. "No, but I was shown footage of the Hulk attacking at Culver University. His profile briefly mentions a fight he had with, uh, Abomination. But that's it."

"Why would they leave out Harlem?" Anna asks, confused, and Steve can only shrug, because he hadn't the faintest clue. Natasha didn't have an answer for them, either.

Steve rubs his chin thoughtfully. "What were you doing in Harlem, anyway?"

"Nothing really, it was kind of a coincident I was in the area when it all went down."

"So, you just decided to run head first into danger?"

She shrugs. "It was the right thing to do."

At this, Steve offers her an appraising look. "Normal people don't often head toward the danger."

"I never claimed to be normal."

* * *

She lost Steve. She looked away for a moment, and she lost the Super Soldier – how is that even possible? – now all she can think about is situational awareness, and how shit hers is, and how she is going to fix it somehow. It's embarrassing, really, because the moment they were dropped off from the quinjet, he told her to follow him and all it took was one moment of distraction and now she's lost Steve.

She's mentally kicking herself, but there is still a silver lining. Before being dropped off, Natasha pointed out the building where they needed to discreetly head toward. It was a Gala of some sort, Anna thinks, though she cannot be sure, and she can hear the faint sound of music drifting down the dark and deserted street.

She briefly glances up, but there is no quinjet above her, only the night sky. She wonders if the quinjet also has reflective mirrors like the Helicarrier, but she dismisses the thought. She had more important things to deal with, such as capturing a bow wielding man named Loki. Besides, it's not like she could just stand there, even if Steve decided to lose himself – none of that is her fault.

So as quietly as possible, she shuffles deeper into the shadowed street and silently casts the disillusionment charm on herself. She feels the effects instantly, like an egg suddenly being dropped on the crown of her head, spreading across her body. Once she is satisfied it has taken full effect, she begins to visualize the roof to the building she needed to be at, and she feels a flare of worry.

It has been some time since she needed to apparate, and didn't exactly want to fuck up just yet. Or at all, really.

She turns abruptly on the spot, and the familiar sensation of being pulled through a very tight tube is overwhelming. The next moment she is blinking, and she feels nauseous, because no matter how many times she has used it in the past, and no matter how long she goes without using it, she will never get used to it.

There is an acute ringing in her ears once she settles, and it takes her a moment to realize that she is not just hearing things, but instead it is the sound of screaming.

She blinks in confusion, attempting to peak over the edge of the building she now stood on, only to jump back when she stands on something soft and squishy. Her attention is quickly drawn down, and she makes a noise of puzzlement, because there is an unconscious guard on the ground, judging by his uniform.

She wants to believe he is simply sleeping on the job, but she knows that is not the case, especially with all the screaming going on downstairs. He was most likely knocked out. She clicks her tongue in annoyance, because she doesn't know what to do with him. Anna thinks he will be fine if she leaves him, though she suspects he will wake with one hell of a headache.

Not her fault, she tells herself as she finally looks down at the front of the building, where a stream of people has begun piling out with hasty, panicked movements.

Where was Steve again?

She makes another noise of annoyance, and suddenly the door to the roof from behind her is kicked open, and her heart is now in her throat with fright – has she already been caught? She shakes her head, because that can't be the case. She is partially invisible, and she is quickly proven correct. Three men have stormed out, each wearing the same uniform the unconscious guard has on. They don't seem to notice her.

She can see their guns attached to their belts, too, and she wonders if they are going to do something about the cause of the screaming.

Unfortunately, one of the guard merely walks around to one side of the roof, silver suitcase in hand, and promptly leaps off the side, and she has to muffle her surprise when the two other men follow his example.

Hastily, she jogs over to where they leapt off and she peaks over, but she cannot see where they have gone. She doubts she could ever pull something like that off. But where could they have even gone? Weren't they here to protect civilians?

She frowned, ready to ponder this, but she is stopped once again by the roof door slamming shut. She reacts better this time, though her heart jolts in her chest, and her wand is now in her hand as she whirls around.

What she sees brings her great delight, and she has to fight down a grin – because striding in her direction is the bow-man, his head ducked down, shadowed by his cap, and he makes no noise as he walks across the roof toward the edge.

There is a sudden pounding in her ears, and her blood rushes in preparation for battle. It has been a long time since she has felt such a way, and she finds she almost misses it. Her magic tingles at the tips of her fingers, and her wand warms against her palm, as if to tell her it is ready. Her green eyes dilate, because she knows this isn't going to be easy – this is the bad guy, the guy who stole the tesseract, so of course there is going to be an epic battle –

Only there is not.

She sends a stunner out, and it hits him straight in the chest. He goes flying back, and Anna cringes because _maybe_ she went in a bit too strong. She sometimes forgets muggles can't exactly deflect magical spells, only dodge them. Plus, she was disillusioned, which she has currently forgotten was still in place.

He lands on his back, a few feet away, and she hears the audible crack as his head impacts the ground.

For a moment, all is still, and she is wondering if he will get back up (he was stunned, of course he won't). Predictably, he doesn't. And now she wonders if she accidently killed him.

Anna flails stupidly for a moment before rushing over to him, hesitantly kneeling at his side to check his pulse and to see if he is breathing. Luckily, there is one and his breathing is slow and steady. She finds a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping as the stress and tension she built up bleeds from her back.

She huffs lazily, grabbing the unconscious man by the chin and jerks it in her direction. She tilts it this way and that, and she can feel short, coarse and unshaven hairs scratch unpleasantly against her finger tips. He looks tanner than he did in the image she saw, and his hair is a little darker – but that could just be the shit lighting making it appear that way.

"You don't look like a Loki at all," she muses "Nah, you're more of a Michael, or a Bob."

Her musings are cut short, however, when a loud blast reverberates from the front of the building. There is the sharp pitch of grinding metal, followed by groaning and the sound of glass shattering. Anna is already on her feet by the time is has stopped, casting a levitation charm over her prisoner.

His floating body trails behind her as she makes her way back toward the edge to see what the commotion is all about – shouldn't it be all over now? She has who they are after, now all they need to find is the tesseract.

One step closer to going home, is what she specifically thinks about. And ice-cream.

"I said. _Kneel!_ "

Anna jumps at the voice, scrambling forward the last few steps to the ledge of the roof, and her hand tightens around her wand at the sight that greets her.

There is an overturned car, flipped carelessly onto its back and the windows of the vehicle have been blown out, scattered across the ground in tiny shards of glass. But that isn't important. What is important is the fact there is a crowd of people, currently kneeling on the ground, in front of a strangely dressed man, pointing a –

"What kind of fucked up wand is _that_?" She mutters, eyes zeroing in on the long and curved wand with a blade attached to the end. She can scarcely make out the faint glow of blue from the center, but she can feel it nonetheless. Anna knew it was magic, and it rubbed against hers, but not in a grating or unpleasant way. It was as if it was greeting her, and it was eerily similar to –

Nope. She was not going there.

Anna cut off her thoughts, focusing back on the situation.

Unfortunately, whoever this new guy was, she could not hear him. If he hadn't shouted – or if that car hadn't been knocked over – she might not have even realized he was there at all. Though she would have eventually figured it out, she did have to come down from the roof sometime, after all.

She really needed to get better at this.

Or better yet, she needed to figure out how the hell this new guy could duplicate himself – even by means of magic, it's an impressive accomplishment. It was easy to pinpoint where the real one stood by her magical attraction toward his wand – staff? Scepter? – and she effortlessly managed to keep her eyes traced on him as he stood towering over the cowed group of frightened people.

Maybe once this was over and done with, she could try and replicate the effect? It would be easier to slip away from Natasha, if she so decided to attempt to sell her more products in future.

Shrugging indifferently, because it would be no real loss if she couldn't do it. Doesn't mean she can't try, however. But she was curious to know why this man could do magic – as far as she knew, there was no living witch or wizard on this earth besides herself. Or she thought so, but this seemed to prove her wrong. Unless he comes from someplace else... which was quite possible, she has learned.

Anna decided she will ask questions later, but right now, this guy is causing trouble and may very well be in league with Loki. It's best if she shuts this down quick, before it can get any further out of hand.

So without further distraction, Anna raised her wand and set off another stunner – only this time is goes a little differently.

It hits the back of his head, sounding loudly like a gong as it pings off his golden helmet, causing it to pop off and drop to the ground it a clatter. The man stumbles forward on the steps he stood upon, but he doesn't go down. His duplicates have vanished, however.

Anna just manages to give a quiet "Oh shit," as he regains his balance and begins to menacingly turn – only to be met with a face full of three additional stunners.

He goes down in a tangled heap, his armor seeming to evaporate completely, and Anna cheers loudly, completely oblivious to the shocked crowd, who have hedged away from the fallen man and are looking around for the source of the voice.

" _Anna_?"

Anna pauses in her cheerful success and leans back over the edge.

"Oh, hi, I guess you found me, huh?" She calls back in a clear voice.

Steve is stood in the center of the crowd who have parted to give him room. He looks as if doesn't quite know what to do with himself, and there is a flat look on his face. She suspects he is not impressed, but Anna is not looking to impress. She's looking to make sure the world doesn't end so she can go home and have her ice cream.

"Where are you?"

His head is tilted up, his eyes scanning the roof, but they never land on her form.

She blinks at his reaction, slowly clicking on, and she freezes up a moment later. She is still disillusioned, and she completely forgot about it. Anna smacks herself in the face, because that was stupid mistake to make, before she spins around and grips the ankle of her captive.

She is gone from the roof a second later, and reappears a few feet away from Steve, quickly dropping the charm so she can become visible again. She'll think of a way to explain this later, she tells herself, ignoring the surprised outcries from the crowd as they shuffle away a few more steps. Even Steve is surprised, though he doesn't back away, but he adjusts to it quicker than everyone else. Though his eyes remain wide and his jaw is loose.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself, offering her a look that clearly states that they will be taking about this later.

That is of course, if he can find her later. She makes no promises.

She offers a sheepish grin, and gestures to the floating figure behind her with her thumb. "I got 'em."

"You – ah – _what_?" Steve shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Your profile needs a serious re-evaluation," he mutters, before adding "Anna, our target was Loki."

Here is where he gestures to the fallen figure at the foot of the steps. He's unconscious, and there is a trail of drool leaking out onto the ground. Anna has to press her lips together to stop her amused smile from showing.

"Yeah, and I got Loki," corrects Anna, still pointing toward her captive "Though he looks more like a Bob, in my opinion."

"Anna – Anna _no_ , that's not..."

"He's a person of interest."

Anna jumps, because there are suddenly lights shining down on her, and her head snaps up to see the quinjet hovering above a nearby building. Steve deflates a bit, and there is clear relief on his face at the sound of Natasha's voice.

"Person of interest?" Parrots Anna, cocking her head to the side as she stows away her wand. She has no use for it at the moment.

Natasha doesn't reply from the quinjet, and Steve only shrugs. "Loki is the guy with the scepter."

Anna blinks. "But I thought it was this guy?"

He shakes his head, jogging over to her unconscious victim on the ground to pick up the magic scepter, though he keeps it as far away from his body as possible. Anna trails behind him slowly – the now unnamed and sleeping man floating along – and she shivers the closer to gets to the weapon. Steve seems to notice this reaction, because his gaze flickers to her with worry in his eye.

"You feel that too?"

Anna can only blink stupidly. She didn't know anyone else could feel the magical pull.

"Ah...yeah..." She unintelligently replies.

His lips twist down in distaste when he glances back down at the scepter. "Let's head back then and get this mess sorted out." He pauses, kindly adding "Good job though." But before she could preen under his praise, he tackles on "I still would have liked it if we followed through with the original plan." He gives her a meaningful glance.

What was the original plan, again? Anna couldn't remember. Or she wasn't paying attention at the time. One of those, anyway.

She gives a coy smile. "I'll listen better next time?"

She really doubts she will.

Steve grimaces. "Let's hope there isn't a next time."

"If you two are done chatting?"

" _Fuck_!"

" _Language_!"

Anna turns to glare at the red-head that had been standing behind her for an unknown amount of time, not realizing she had climbed out of the quinjet to reach them. Natasha looks self-satisfied, pushing a silver brief-case toward Steve, who takes it with steady hands.

"Put the scepter in this for the time being."

Steve quickly complies with the order.

"Nice vanishing act, by the way." Natasha compliments. Anna had really been hoping that it was only Steve who noticed. It was wishful thinking.

"Is this really the time and place for this kind of discussion?" Anna hedges, glancing up at the crowd who were – "Who're they?"

"Clean up."

"That was...fast."

And it really was. The crowd that had been lingering in front of the Gala were currently being shepherded away from the premises by, what Anna could only assume as, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in black suits, many talking into their ear-pieces and others speaking to the victims of the assault.

One particular man was gesturing wildly to one of the men in the suits, hand clamped over his eye where faint trails of blood leaked. He looked pale and frightened but also enraged. Anna could only flinch, she hadn't seen him being attacked and neither had she spotted him in the crowd of people. Unless he had been attacked while inside.

Anna turned back to Natasha and Steve, putting her back to the mess behind her.

"How long will they be out for?" Natasha asks, having already taken up her position by the unconscious bow-man, only looking up once to state her question before looking back down. Steve nods along with the question, also curious.

"Not-Loki will take a few hours. Loki-Loki may take longer, depending."

"On?" Asks Steve, who had picked up the real Loki and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. If he was lucky, he wouldn't be drooled on, thought Anna with a tinge of amusement.

"How resilient he is. He took three of my stunners to the face, if you weren't watching." She points out.

Steve cringes. "I was. It was...impressive?"

"I'm sure it was." deadpans Anna, before changing the subject. "I have to say, this was all terribly anticlimactic."

"Maybe it's better that way," said Natasha "People could have died, if something had gone differently. Be thankful no one did."

" _Could have_ ," repeats Anna "I'm just saying. This was all just so..." She pauses, struggling for the right word.

"Easy?" Offers Steve, and Anna clicks her fingers, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, I'm getting the same feeling. Glad to know I'm not the only one sensing it."

"I think you're both being paranoid," Natasha flatly replies.

"I think you not being paranoid enou–" Anna's voice is drowned out by the sudden music blaring from the quinjet's speakers, and she sees Steve tense up beside her. Natasha was looking mildly fed up, shaking her head softly while she checked the pulse of the unconscious bow-man. Anna would have reassured her that he was very much alive, but she could scarcely make out her own thoughts through the noise.

She rubs her ears in irritation, because this was just too damn loud, and she was very tempted to silence the quinjet – she barely manages to stop herself from pulling out her wand when the music suddenly begins to calm down, the volume lowering.

"Do you know what's going on?" She calls over the noise. The music wasn't low enough for her to speak normally. Steve shakes his head, frowning heavily. Anna turns to Natasha, and she receives a secretive smile.

She huffs, because that is entirely unhelpful.

Of course, not a moment later is her question answered. It's the flash of something red that gives it away, and her eyes are drawn upward to the incoming object that was flying toward them at high speeds. Her body tenses, drawing the attention of Steve and Natasha, who follow her gaze – though Natasha is the first to look away, uninterested, which Anna cannot understand why.

Steve has taken a few steps forward, and his frown has deepened. Anna has her wand back in her hand, and a spell at the tip of her tongue, just in case.

When whatever it is comes within proper seeing distance, and not just a spark in the distance, Anna manages to relax her body, and puts her wand away.

She may not know a lot about Captain America, despite how popular a topic he is, but she does recognize this figure. It's hard not to miss, when it's almost constantly plastered across every newspaper and poster she can find.

She would be naïve if she didn't know who Iron Man was, but it was different seeing it in person. On occasion she would spot a figure leaving Stark Tower, but it was gone before she could blink. She's kind of in awe, because muggles have come a long way in such a short amount of time. Plus, Tony Stark had great taste in colors, if she did say so herself.

The flying metal suit stops to hover indecisively near the quinjet, which had been parked on top of the roof it has previously been lingering over. As far as Anna could tell, Iron Man – or rather, Tony Stark – had never been one to hesitate, but this is what she was seeing.

"Did we...request back up?" She asks to no one unparticular, eyes still trained on the red and gold metal suit. "From Iron Man, no less? Because I think we handled the situation quite well."

"He tends to show up unannounced." nonchalantly replies Natasha, before adding "It's usually flashy entrances he goes for."

"I guess we beat him to it, huh?"

"That's one way of putting it."

Whatever Iron Man was mulling over, he quickly figured it out, because he was now heading in their direction before dropping down with a heavy 'thunk'. He appeared to strut up to them, which was quite impressive, considering he was inside the suit, and he gestures to Natasha and Steve.

"Natasha. Captain. I see you have the situation handled." His voice is slightly warbled, but clear and comprehensible nonetheless.

"Hello to you too, Stark." Natasha greets, though she remains next to the floating bow-man. Steve nods his head in greeting, but there is a weary glint in his eye. "Didn't expect you to show up."

"There a lot of things I do that you don't expect," he waves his hand idly, as if to brush away her comment.

"Was he in the profiles?" Anna asks, hoping Steve or Natasha could explain why he was there.

"If you read it, maybe you would know." Natasha quips.

"It's become _redundantly_ clear that I have not, so you're not really helping me here."

Natasha scoffs, but makes no further comment.

Tony Stark pauses in his steps, and despite the fact that his helmet shields his face, she knows she has his attention. She could almost feel his curiosity, and there is a slight tilt to his head. His scrutiny doesn't last long, however.

"Uh," his faceplate flips up, and the first thing she notices is his well-trimmed goatee. "Who's the midget?"

Anna visibly bristles.

* * *

 **So there we have it! It took longer for me to get this out, despite it being complete for a while. I've been a bit busy with life, but I won't get into that. Anyway, I have been asked about Anna and if she is the Master/Mistress of Death. I've been meaning to add this in, but yes, she is. But I'm not going to elaborate on in, just know it will eventually be discussed.**

 **Anyway, as you've probably read, there are some hints at what Anna has done to get on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar, and there will be more to add to that in future. I will also add, it has been awhile since Anna has seen any type of combat, so she is very rusty, something she is going to have to fix.**

 **The next chapter is still being worked out, and I've had to re-write it quite a lot. But hopefully it will be done soon.**

 **As for parings, any more suggestions? (I will note, nothing will happen romantically any time soon. It's is not the current focus of this story – at the moment, it is seeing who Anna connects with and who she doesn't.)**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading and a huge, huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, faved and followed! I really didn't expect such a positive response. But it was such an amazing thing to see, nonetheless.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's done. (There is another A/N at the bottom).**

 **A huge thank you to those who reviewed, faved and followed. Seriously, you guys are awesome and a great source of inspiration to kick my ass into writing. Thank you so much!**

 **For now, here's chapter 5. All mistakes belong to me.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

They are currently on the quinjet, heading back to the Helicarrier. Anna had been given a basic rundown of the events leading to the stolen tesseract, filling in the holes that had previously left her confused. For starters, Loki wasn't from earth and has been confirmed to come from a place called Asgard. Brother to Thor – and that fact certainly gave Anna a massive headache – and youngest son to Odin, Loki has essentially declared war. So, if Anna wasn't stressed out before, she definitely is now.

For starters, Anna knew next to nothing about Norse mythology, but she knows enough to understand that these mythical people or 'Gods' are very, very old. As in, thousands of years old. Meaning, Loki has at least seen his own fair share of war and already knows how to sweep the rug out from under everyone. Something that he has already accomplished by his surprise visit, followed up by a heavy sprinkling of mind magic. Because that is what they're dealing with now, apparently.

Anna had almost had a fit when Natasha went over the details. But in summary, he used the scepter to take control over loyal S.H.I.E.L.D agents. It made her feel sick, because she knows what it's like to be under the influence of someone else. Her fourth year at Hogwarts, studying under the fake Mad-Eye, was a good example. Barty Crouch Jr may have been a dick, but at least he prepared her somewhat (while also plotting her death, sadly) to what it was like under the imperius curse. She can't say the same for the archer she had captured. Muggles tended to have weaker mental defenses than witches and wizards. How could she even begin to help break mentally controlled people out of it?

This was something she had hoped she could avoid, being on this world. Magic users who have a love for power and destruction – and Loki fit the bill for both. According to Natasha, he has already killed over 80 and counting in his short time on earth, along with destroying a S.H.I.E.L.D base, with people still inside. And power? He has a tesseract (which has the power to wipe out the world, according to Coulson) and a scepter that can do magic bullshittery. Because that isn't a normal wand, Anna is certain. It's bound to do something unpredictable and she hopes she doesn't get to find out. A normal wand? She can totally handle that. Easy as pie to deal with. But something that feels chillingly familiar to a certain Deathstick? Yeah, that is a different ballgame all together. A game she isn't certain she wants to play. But it's not like she can just leave and everything will be fine. It doesn't work that way.

The problem with all of this is the fact there are still missing pieces. What is the motive? What's the endgame? And why earth in-particular? What does Loki have to gain by declaring war? As far as Anna knew, earth has done nothing to piss off The God of Mischief and Lies – so _why_? Nothing is making sense and she hates it. She's not like Hermione. Thinking wasn't her thing. Anna is more an 'act before thinking' kind of person. Most of the time. But the thinking thing doesn't work, and it's stressing her out, leaving her so close to pulling her own hair out.

She rubs at her eyes furiously, before leaning forward to put her head between her knees. She ignores Steve's soft enquiry, asking if she was fine. She just needed everyone to shut up for a moment so she could think – Tony Stark seemed insistent on giving out back handed comments to Steve, something about icicles and work out routines, occasionally giving out pointed questions about their bound prisoners, specifically about the levitation charm Anna had cast over the archer, (what was his name again? Bob? Michael? Marcus?) but had dropped the spell as soon as they were inside the quinjet. Anna offered no explanation, which only increased his curious nattering. It was giving her a really bad headache. The thunder that rumbled ominously outside in the distance was not helping, and it felt like a bad omen.

What Anna really wanted to know is if Loki could use mind magic without having contact with the scepter. She wanted to know if he knew how to use magic similar to legilimence or occlumency, if he was talented enough to use magic without a tool. It was a silly thought, because if he truly was who Natasha claimed him to be, then of course he could. He would have had thousands of years to perfect his magic –

Anna stiffened, giving out a strangled moan of despair, because that wasn't comforting at all.

"Anna?" Someone nudged her side and she looked up to see it was Steve, wearing a concerned expression. She blinked back, slightly dazed from her spiraling train of thought.

"Oh, hiya, nice day, huh?" She airily replied, smiling crookedly.

"Uh, it's nighttime." Tony corrected as he slinked his way over to Steve and Anna, looking her up and down with a skeptically raised brow. "Where did you find her again?"

" _Stark_ ," warns Steve, straightening at Anna's side.

"Capsicle," mockingly replies Tony.

"How close do you think they were? Are?" Anna decides to ask, voice still slightly high and ignoring Steve's concerned question and Tony's rudeness. "Thor and Loki, I mean." she adds on when she notices Steve's confusion. Tony was still giving her that look, as if trying to see if she was worth his time or not. Which, again, rude. She still hasn't forgiven him from his earlier comment about her height. All he has done so far was fire off questions about how Loki was taken down, who did it and ' _what is that stick in your hair for, exactly?_ '. She refused to answer him.

Silence met her question, and it was almost telling. That, or they really didn't know much about the situation or relationship surrounding the supposed God's. But that brings up another unasked question. Where is Thor? Does Loki have any Asgardian friends he has stashed away somewhere? She would really like to know.

"You guys are no help," groans Anna, her head dropping back into her lap. "I mean, how likely is it that Thor will show up? Would we have to fight him too?"

"You sound like you don't want to fight." Points out Tony.

"Because I don't," Anna snaps, voice muffled by her legs. "I just found out God's actually exist and Mr Snot-bubble over there," here she blindly points in the direction of a slumbering Loki, currently drooling against the seat of the quinjet. "Can do mind fuckery. I don't know about you, but mind rape doesn't sound like a fun thing to experience."

Anna doesn't even know if her occlumency shields will stand up against Loki's mental attacks. It's a huge mess and it's giving her anxiety. She doesn't want to think about it. She just wants to beat the shit out of her problems until they go away. Her problem being Loki himself.

"It just..." Anna lets out a frustrated sigh. "It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't feel right."

"No, you're right." Steve chimes in, agreeing. Anna pokes her head up to peak at him, curious. "From my experience, the bad guy doesn't go down that easy." She shoots him a weak glare, because she thinks her stunners did an amazing job in taking Loki down. "It's possible he's after something."

"Oh," Anna sags suddenly, remembering something. "Say, you wouldn't know what happened to those guards that jumped off the building at the gala? There were three, carrying a suitcase, but I dunno what it was or what was inside."

She suddenly had a very bad feeling and it made her knot of anxiety worsen.

"Guards?" Steve frowned. "The guards were taken out – narcotic arrows, I think were the cause."

"Oh," any remaining color drains from Anna's face as she sits back upright. She has the sudden urge to jump out the quinjet, because she has just realized she fucked up. Hugely.

Steve, sensing her distress, shares a look with Tony, who wore a carefully neutral expression. "Anna?" Steve hedges.

"Care to share with the class?" Adds Tony.

Anna swallows. "So, what are the chances that Loki didn't go in alone? Discounting Bob, of course."

"Bob?" Snorts Tony.

"I think she means Clint." Natasha corrects from the cockpit.

"Come to think about it, what was he doing there anyway?" Asks Steve, turning to look at the slumped figure in the seat near Loki. He seemed to clink on faster than Tony, because he's stiffened up, turning back to Anna with a serious expression. "You think he might have been after something?"

"And why was Reindeer Games even at that place in the first place? Because I really doubt it was simply to cause a scene." Tony pauses, before adding. "Gotta say, this really reeks of hidden motives."

"On the roof, three guards came out. One was holding a case, the other two were just following. They went off the side and when I went to check, they were gone. It was around that time that _he_ ," she jabs her thumb in the archer's direction. "Showed up. I recognized him from picture on the S.H.I.E.L.D computer and kinda assumed he was...Loki." she finished lamely.

"That makes sense, now that you explain it," comments Steve, looking thoughtful, probably recalling her appearing after taking down Loki with the unconscious man – _Clint_ – levitating behind.

"Uh, hello? Three goons and a missing case still to solve," tacks on Tony, wagging his finger at Steve in mock reproach.

Steve gives him a withering look. "At this point, there isn't much we can do. Whatever they were up to, they're probably long gone by now."

"And who do we have to thank for that?" Tony gives Anna a pointed look, causing her to bristle up.

"I'll make this very clear. This thing, right here? I've not had to do anything like this in a very long time. I'm not an agent, or a spy. Up until yesterday, I didn't exist. But S.H.I.E.L.D wanted help and I don't like the idea of the world ending. I was told to capture Loki and _I did_."

"Look how well that turned out." dismissed Tony, waving off her statement.

She bared her teeth at him, her fingers itching to pluck her wand from her hair. "You know, for a supposed genius? You're a fucking idiot."

" _Anna_..." Steve sighed, going unheard.

"Oh? Please, enlighten me."

Anna continued to bristle under his condescending tone, but complied nonetheless. " _Observe,_ " she snaps her fingers, pointing to the unconscious archer. Steve and Tony both follow where her finger is pointing. "This is goon number four. He is going to be our lead, assuming _he_ ," here she nods toward Loki. "Doesn't give us jack shit."

Tony cocks a brow at her. "Alright, fair enough. But you're still missing something."

She scowls at him. "And what would that be?"

"Isn't he still under mind control?"

"We break him out of it. Simple." Anna shrugs.

"If all else fails, cognitive recalibration." Adds in Natasha, peering around her seat at the cockpit to look at them.

"So, a very hard hit to the head?" Summarizes Anna, raising both brows at the spy.

"Essentially," shrugs Natasha, before leaning back.

"That...might actually work." replies Anna. "But, Loki is the one who placed them under his control. He can also be the one to reverse it. I'm positive that's how it works."

"Only one small problem with that," Tony adds in. "Is that I don't think Sleeping Beauty is gonna want to cooperate with us."

"Not unless we make him." Natasha points out.

"We could beat him over the head while he's still sleeping?" Offers Anna, because the idea is appealing and you never know, it _might_ work.

"Your idea of ' _make him_ ' is morally questionable." Scoffs Tony, eyeing Anna up and down with a slightly disturbed expression.

"It's a sound plan." Agrees Natasha.

"You both need help." Tony deadpans, throwing his hands up.

Steve drops a hand on Anna's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "Not that I don't like having a plan, but I don't think blunt force trauma is the answer. I'm sure there are better ways."

"I have to agree with the Capsicle," grimaces Tony, as if the idea of agreeing with Steve was and unpleasant one. "I don't really want to be involved in a murder scene."

"It's only murder if he dies." Anna corrects.

"Ever heard of attempted murder?" Rebukes Tony.

"Only if someone stops me –"

"Don't forget me." Adds in Natasha.

"And Natasha. Plus, I never said I would kill him."

"Just turn his brain into paste." Scoffs Tony.

"...Only a little bit."

"I think we should get back to base first, see what we can do then." Placates Steve, giving Anna's shoulder one more pat before dropping it. "There's not much we can do up here, other than wait."

"Waiting doesn't get us answers..." She mutters.

"No, but it gives us time to think about alternatives." Suggests Steve. "Other than caving in his skull, I mean."

"That's so boring."

"Can't all get what we want." Shrugs Tony.

"You mean other than you?" Anna snarks back.

He grins. "Right in one."

She tuts loudly. "What makes earth so special, anyway?" She asks, changing the subject.

" _Duh_ ," Tony gestures to himself.

"You're an ass."

"My ass is amazing, thank you."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, deciding to ignore their last comments.

"I mean, why earth and not some place...I dunno, _else_?"

"You mean besides unfortunate luck?" Natasha answers back, to which Anna rolls her eyes, even if Natasha couldn't see her. "Because I have a feeling it has everything to do with the tesseract. It's how he got here, in the first place."

Anna scowled. She had briefly forgotten that Natasha told her that. "I really should have thought about that."

Natasha hums her affirmative back.

"So, Loki has the tesseract. Possibly or most likely has stolen something from the gala –"

"He probably now has a valuable source of government secrets, too, now that I think about it." Anna butts in. "I mean, who else has he mind fucked recently?"

Steve shoots her a glare. "And he intends to bring war. There's only two outcomes from all of this."

"Total destruction or complete conquer." Tony flatly summarizes. "Well, this certainly isn't how I envisioned spending my weekend."

"You're not the only one," grumbles Anna. "I have ice cream in the freezer just waiting to be eaten. It would have been, too, had tall and blond here not broke into my apartment."

Steve flushes lightly, coughing into his fist as he looks away. "It was Coulson's idea." He quietly mutters.

Anna's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

But before Anna could make a remark, the lights of the quinjet flickered as thunder lit up the night sky, and the wind slammed against the jet, causing it to rattle and vibrate unsteadily. Her gaze shot up to the window in confusion, which quickly grew into horror. "Are we flying through a storm?" She asks, voice high and squeaky.

"Not intentionally," Natasha shot back. "It picked up a few minutes ago, developed pretty fast. I'm trying to fly us out."

Another flash of thunder rumbles over the quinjet.

Anna jumps, pressing herself back against her seat. "Try harder!"

"Are you scared of a little lightning?" Asks Steve, amused.

"Nope," squeaks Anna. "Because one, that ain't lightning. Two? That's fucking thunder. You know what that means?"

"I'm not sure –"

" _Thor._ " Natasha breathes, air audibly whooshing out of her lungs.

"Now do you see?" Anna snaps.

"I'm sure this is all just a big coincident," Tony supplied, shrugging it off. He seemed completely unbothered by the storm. "You're both paranoid."

" _No_ ," Natasha corrects, sounding winded. "It's _Thor_."

"Shit..." Mumbles Anna as she stumbles to her feet. Steve grips her elbow just before she began to topple over, luckily, and she shoots him a thankful smile.

"You mean you saw him?" Enquires Steve once he made sure Anna wasn't going to fall over. He quickly made his way over to the cockpit, followed by Tony and Anna. The latter shuffling nervously behind, occasionally shooting Loki suspicious glances. Loki, completely unaware of anything, continued to drool against his seat.

"It was a flash, but I'm positive it was him."

"Could be your mind playing tricks." offers Tony, crossing his arms across his chest, or as much as he could, anyway. He was still in his Iron Man suit.

Natasha doesn't grace him with a response.

"But what if it was?" questions Steve. "Do we know what side he's on?"

"Right now, that's questionable." Natasha answers. "We don't exactly have his number."

"But we can assume – _if it is him and he's here_ – that is has something to do with Loki, right?" Anna speculates, shooting another glance over her shoulder to Loki.

"There would be no other reason for him to come after us, so yes." Confirmed Natasha.

"Oh...okay, good, then we make sure he can't take him." Decides Anna, plucking her wand from her hair and pointed it toward Loki. She silently casts a sticking charm on him, so he cant be pulled from his seat in the likely scenario that Thor manages to break in and attempt to steal him away.

"And how do we manage that, exactly?" Asks Tony, turning to her, luckily missing her small display of magic. She didn't exactly want to deal with questions right now, she had enough of them to deal with later.

"I thought you didn't believe Thor may actually be out there, creating storm bullshittery and whatnot."

"I don't," sniffs Tony. "But I would love to hear how you'd stop a Norse God from taking back his brother."

"A number of ways, actually." Anna shrugs.

"That was honest so enlightening," replies Tony in mock surprise. "And here I was, thinking you were actually scared. Gosh, silly me."

"Keep it up and I swear you are going to be the next person I'm knocking out." Anna hisses, itching to pull out her wand again.

" _Stark_ ," Steve snaps, drawing their attention to the solider. "Stop antagonizing her. That goes for you too, Anna. Threatening him isn't going to get you anywhere."

She bristles at his stern tone. "It wasn't a fucking _threat_. That was a promise."

"Anna," Steve warns. "Drop it. We have more things to worry about."

"I'm sorry, but who died and made him –"

Tony was cut off by the sudden lurch that the quinjet gave, followed by a bright flash of thunder that rumbles loudly, drowning out the noise of the jet. Anna manages to press herself against the back of Natasha's seat, stopping herself from falling over when the quinjet began to quiver. It didn't last long, fortunately. But she is stopped from commenting when a loud thump echoes from the roof.

Her head snaps up, followed by Steve and Tony.

"Oh, _god_ –"

"Literally." Natasha mutters, and Anna ignores her.

"He's up there, isn't he?" She whispers in disbelief.

"Why does this suddenly feel like a very bad horror movie?" Tony wonders aloud, as more thumps follow.

"Okay...okay I may have a plan." Anna starts after a brief pregnant pause, which was filled with the heavy footfalls coming from above. "It's probably a little dangerous. Or a lot. Take your pick, but it's a plan and –"

"Get to the point, already." Huffs Tony, who was following the source of the noise with his eyes.

She flips him the bird. "Fuck you, by the way –"

"Damn it, Anna!" Steve snaps. "This is really not the time –"

"I don't fuck midgets, sorry."

"I'm not a fucking _midget_!" Anna shouts, ripping her wand out of her messy bun.

"Anna, Anna _no_ –" begins Steve, to which she cuts him off, and jabs her wand in the direction of the quinjet's exit, at the back.

"Open the fucking ramp before I do something I probably won't regret!"

"Is this your grand idea? Threaten the Norse God of Thunder with a stick?" Tony taunts.

"Oh, I swear, you are so fucking annoying. Anyone ever tell you that?" Anna scathingly growls.

"It has been mentioned once or twice in the past." Is his nonchalant reply.

"Just open the damn ramp!" She eventually shouts out in frustration when none of them move toward the exit. Hesitantly, and surprisingly, it is Steve who makes his way forward, but he pauses just as he reaches the button that opens the exit. He glances over his shoulder to look at her.

"You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Are you doubting me?" Anna retorts.

"No, Ma'am."

"Good. Now open it already, and stay out of the way."

Steve presses the button, and the ramp door flies open. Anna doesn't have time to process her thoughts on her plan, because suddenly there is a figure on the other end, highlighted by the thunder that crackles ominously in the distance. A long, billowing red cape and strange armor. Pale, blond hair, whipping wildly in the wind. But that's not what she notices, and she freezes up. What she notices is the hammer clenched tightly in his grip, and the powerful feeling of magic that emitted from it, brushing up against her own, not unlike how the scepter had.

Her pause in actions have given the person – _Thor_ – time to step inside with snake like speed, launching himself at Loki, his free hand wrapping around his throat to tug him out.

Only he doesn't.

Because Loki is literally stuck to his seat.

Anna quickly snaps out of it, and movement from both Steve and Tony throw her into motion. She conjures up thin cords that snake their way around the Asgardian, binding him down and causing him to shout out in surprise.

"Shut the ramp!" Snaps Anna as she sends a jelly-legs curse at Thor, aiming for his back but ends up clipping him on the shoulder instead. He was thrashing around too much, attempting to rip the cords off. He may have almost accomplished that, if it wasn't for the spell. His legs give out under him and he collapses against Loki, snarling loudly and rolling to the side, until he is slouched in front of the seats. Anna can almost taste the rage that was pouring off of him, and she begins to question if this was really a good idea.

"What have you done to me?" Thor snarls out, struggling to climb to his feet and still gripping his hammer in a white-knuckle grip. Anna can feel the magic surrounding it crackle angrily in response. She conjures more cords to wrap around him, even as he struggles against them. His strength is impressive, and she can hear the cords creak as he flexes his muscles, attempting to gain room to wiggle free. She tightens them further in response, and she hopes the jelly-leg curse lasts a little longer. It was a weak spell to begin with, and when paired with an Asgardian, it would seem he had a natural resistance to magic. But he's still struggling, his legs refusing to support him, and that's all she can hope for at the moment. Just a little time. And if she's lucky, she won't be a smear on the wall by the end of all this.

Steve has already closed the ramp, and is currently stationed near the back of the quinjet, his shield in front of him, ready to fight. Tony is closer to the cockpit, and his Iron Man helmet is back on, one arm is outstretched, palm facing Thor, also ready to fight.

"I'm gonna need you to calm the heck down, Sir." Anna calls out, hoping to sound calm. "Because I will happily knock you out, if you don't."

"What have you done to me?" Repeats Thor, voice deep and guttural, tinged with rage. He still thrashes against the cords, but it has lessened some since Anna spoke. His gaze cuts to her, his pale windswept hair covering his left eye. He still manages to somehow look intimidating, half sprawled across the floor, legs refusing to work and tied up. But she can already tell that the curse was beginning to wear off, if the way his leg would give an occasional twitch was anything to go by.

She kept her wand pointed at him, just in case.

"How about a question for a question?" Anna carefully suggests, cutting her gaze from Thor to meet Steve's own. He nods sharply. "I answer yours and you answer mine. A fair trade."

Thor eyes her suspiciously, his nostrils flaring briefly. For a moment, she is uncertain if he will agree. But he manages to straighten out somewhat, pressing against the seat of their prisoners, and he gives a slow nod as he stops struggling against her restraints. Anna doesn't relax. "Very well," he agrees, gaze flickering to her wand with a furrowed brow.

"First of," Anna cuts Thor off as he opens his mouth to speak. There was no way she was letting him go first. "Why are you here?"

Thor doesn't hesitate, but there is a sudden mournful expression on his face. "I have come to reclaim my brother, and to take him home."

Anna blinks stupidly at him. "What do you –"

Thor sharply cuts her off, the deep rumble of his voice filling the quinjet. "I thought you promised a fair trade." He pauses, before repeating his earlier question. "What have you done to me?"

She kinda walked into that one, and she sighs heavily through her nose. She had hoped he would let that particular question go, if she was honest.

Best to just get it over with.

"I bound you." Anna explains, as if it is obvious. And it kinda is. The cords are visible, despite being conjured up, but he hadn't asked _how_ , he asked _what_. "Then I... gave you jelly legs."

"You gave him jelly legs?" Tony quietly mocks. " _That's_ what you're going with. Really?"

She shrugs back. It was an honest answer, if a little unbelievable from a muggle point of view.

"I see..." Thor rumbles out, looking pensive.

"Are you here to declare war against earth?" Anna forges on. "You say you've come to collect Loki, but Mr Snot-bubble back there is dead set on a fight. I doubt he'd let you take him. You may even be on his side, for all I know."

He gives her a confused look, his thick brows furrowing further together. "I have no quarrel with your people." He seemed to hesitate at the end, and Anna raised her eyebrow doubtfully. "My brother intends to make Midgard his own to rule over. I have come to put a stop to his schemes."

"Called it!" Tony triumphantly declares, causing both Anna and Steve to glare at him. He shrugs back.

"What are his plans, exactly?" Steve slowly asks.

"I recall it is my turn to ask, is it not?" Retorts Thor, frowning.

Anna purses her lips. "Ask away then." She grumbles. What else more would he want to know?

"How is it that you have found yourself on Midgard?"

Her eyes widen, and she sucks in a sharp gust of air through her teeth. Her reaction draws the attention of both Steve and Tony. They both don't seem to understand the question. But she does. And she really didn't expect it. How does she even begin to explain that? Or better yet, does she even want to?

Anna coughs awkwardly. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." She lies, though not as smoothly as she had hoped for. "Now, would you be so kind as to answer the Captain?" She throws him a smile, stretched a little too wide and revealing more teeth than necessary.

Thor gives her a look of disbelief, and for a moment he looks like he's ready to argue, but Anna throws him a look that dares him to question her. He gives her a slow nod in return, but there is a knowing look in his eye, one that screams trouble for her. "Very well," he complies, turning to Steve, but not before giving her one last, lingering, look. "He has an army, known as the Chitauri," he begins. "They are not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them here, against your people. They will be his key to winning Midgard. In return, I suspect, for the tesseract."

Anna gaped openly, her wand lowering slightly. Thor noticed this, but he made no move against her, thankfully. Tony was blinking stupidly, as if he hadn't heard it right. But surprisingly, it was Steve who expressed his disbelief first.

"An army? From outer space? As in, _aliens_?" He was looking extremely lost and flatfooted as he said this, trying to wrap his head around it all. Anna didn't blame him in the slightest.

"Aye," Thor calmly confirms, turning to look over his shoulder to Loki, giving him another mournful glance. "Which is why I must bring my brother to Asgardian justice. I cannot allow this to go on any further."

Anna pinches the bridge of her nose, groaning loudly. "Just to confirm, Loki has the tesseract, right? How is he going to bring his space buddies down to earth when he's in custody?"

"He would have to open a portal of some kind," adds on Tony, looking speculative, seeming to have shaken off his surprise. "Something he couldn't do from inside a cell. Unless he has someone working on it for him – who else do we know that Loki has taken control over?"

Anna's eyebrows shoot up. "That's actually a good point. Who else has he nabbed? Cause I don't have a single clue."

"Erik Selvig," Natasha offers up from the cockpit, voice monotone and neutral. "An astrophysicist. He was taken along with Barton and the tesseract when Loki came through the portal."

"Barton?" Asks Anna, confused.

"Clint." Natasha clarified.

"Oh...goon number four, then."

"That's one way of putting it."

"So, does this mean Loki is hoping to recreate the same kind of portal that got him here?" Anna turns to Thor, who was wearing a pained expression. She blinks back at him. "What?"

"Erik is a friend," Thor quietly explained, throwing Loki another sad look. "I was not aware he had been taken."

"You've been to earth recently, then?" Steve asks, sending the Asgardian a curious look.

"Yes." States Thor, though he does not elaborate.

"...Getting back to the portal thingy," hedges Anna, "If it was the tesseract that brought him here, then it's the tesseract that's going to open up another one, right? So, I'm assuming that that's going to be a key element to this. I mean, where would you even built one of them? And where exactly would the portal open up from? And how would he know _where_ to open it?"

Thinking about all of this was making her head spin.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out..." Muttered Tony, having already withdrawn his outstretched arm so he could begin to pace. It was a little difficult. The quinjet wasn't exactly big, and the walk space was tiny, a large chunk of it had been taken up by Thor, who was still sat on the floor. It didn't help that Anna and Steve had taken up a small amount of space by standing, so Tony only managed to get a few feet of space to himself.

"We should work together," Steve suddenly declares, his jaw set in determination, wearing a serious expression. "We need Loki so we can get the tesseract. Once that job is done, you would be free to take him back. You seem to know what you're dealing with here, and we need all the help we can get at the moment."

Thor gives him a considering look, before he climbs to his feet, causing Anna to choke on her own spit. She goes ignored, and Thor reaches out his right hand, as much as he could anyway, considering he was still bound.

"I will agree to this," accepted Thor. "But once my part is complete, I will be leaving with my brother."

Steve pumps his hand firmly once. "Good to have you aboard."

"Excuse me?" Squawked Anna, stomping her way forward, her wand still in her hand. "But why didn't you show that it had worn off?" She gestured to Thor's legs, which were perfectly stable. There was no sign that he had been struck by the jelly-leg curse.

He gives a small chuckle that rumbled deep within his chest. "Your cheap magic tricks didn't affect me as much as you assumed it had." He humorously explains.

She blinks once. Then twice, before scowling up at him. " _Cheap magic_?" She grouses, puffing up.

Thor furrows his brows. "I meant no disrespect –"

"Magic?" Repeats Steve, turning to Anna with a dawning look. "Does that make your stick a wand, then?"

Her jaw drops, but it is Thor who replies, giving Steve a bewildered look. "Of course, it's a wand. What else could it be?"

Steve raises his eyebrows at her, as if to silently ask her to explain. Anna, instead, decided to back up slowly, shaking her head. "Oh, no. Nu uh. Not getting into this right now. Nope."

"So it _is_ a wand?" Steve's eyebrows shoot further up, his gaze locking onto her hand where her wand was gripped. She childishly pulls it behind her back. It didn't exactly help her cause in the slightest.

"What's a wand?" Asks Tony, distracted, pausing in his steps to look over.

Anna shoots a glare at a still confused Thor. "If you think I'm helping you out of those binds now, you have another thing coming." she grumbles to him.

He blinks back. "I do not understand."

"Just shush."

"My Lady, I –"

"Shush."

"I –"

" _Shush._ "

"Uh, what's going on?" Asks Tony, still looking over, glancing between Steve, Thor and Anna.

She spins on her heels, offering a false cheery grin as she heads to the cockpit. Maybe Natasha would give her a little space for silence, and no questions. She has plans to make, ones that didn't involve Norse Gods and curious teammates. "Absolutely nothing is going on."

"That makes me believe that there _is_ something going on." Tony flatly replies as she strides past him.

"In your opinion." She hums back, ignoring his low grumbling as she slips into the empty seat at the controls panel.

However, if she expected Natasha to keep quiet, she was sorely mistaken.

"So, a wand, huh?"

Anna shoots her a glare.

* * *

 **Okay, chapter 5 is officially complete. This chapter has been a huge pain in the butt for me and I've had to rewrite it so many times. But this was turned out relatively okay, better than the other versions. The other version had Anna attempting to beat Loki's skull in with a pipe (I'm not even kidding), and the version before that had Anna beating the crap out of Tony because he just refused to shut his mouth. I had to restrain Anna from doing that in this chapter, because reasons. I refuse to mention the versions before that. It's way too painful to think about.**

 **But yeah, in this chapter, we get some Tony/Anna interaction. Tony is an ass, but I don't think he's a bad one. I think he enjoys getting a reaction out of people, and Anna ended up reacting to a lot of his jabs. Which causes him to push more.**

 **We also get to see Thor. Who spilled some beans that didn't want to be spilled. Actions have consequences (or in this case, words) which we will see later down the line.**

 **Not a lot of Clint in this chapter, but it can and will be fixed.**

 **Also, someone mentioned Anna pouch. Here's the funny thing, I** _ **know**_ **it's called a mokeskin pouch, but I keep spelling it as moleskin. I had that 'oh my god' moment, because I'm a fucking idiot and I didn't even realize it. I will be going back to fix it when I get a spare minute.**

 **A few others mentioned I change between past and present tense a lot. Which, I don't disagree. This fanfic is a writing challenge for me, to get better at it. There is going to be mistakes like this,** _ **which I will try and fix**_ **and I am so sorry if this is confusing to you. I'll try my best to correct myself in future.**

 **One last thing. Some people are getting the impression that I'm going to jump straight into romance – or that I'm going to focus my story entirely on it. I'm not. Romance is going to be a future (way, way, way future) side plot. I'm focusing on friendship at the moment. All I wanted to know is what parings people preferred or would like to see Anna with. This is a very distant future paring thing. It's not going to happen in a chapter or two. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on it. Does that make sense now?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Chapter 6 is complete.**

 **A huge thank you to those who reviewed, faved and followed! You guys are honestly amazing!**

 **Also, I apologize for any mistakes or spelling errors.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The ride back to the Helicarrier was spent in relative silence, discounting the occasional mutters of Tony, who was still trying to figure something out. Whatever he was trying to figure out still remained a mystery, and Anna didn't feel inclined to ask. She had her own things to think about, which would be dealt with once she made it back to her borrowed sleeping quarters. Steve and Thor shared a brief conversation at one point, speaking low and near inaudible to Anna. But she got the gist. It had something to do with comparing battle strategies. Their conversation tapered off when the Helicarrier came into sight.

Fury, Coulson and Agent Maria Hill (someone Anna hadn't personally met) had been there to greet them when they landed. Anna made sure to unstick Loki so he could be carried out, something that no one seemed to notice. Thor gave a small tilt to his head when she did it, but she chose to ignore that reaction in favor of getting the hell out of the quinjet.

Fury inclined his head toward her as she jogged off the ramp. It was as much as a 'thank you' as she would get from him, she supposed. Coulson, meanwhile, was giving her the stink-eye and she carefully avoided stepping anywhere near him. Thankfully his attention was drawn away by Steve, who had Clint hoisted over his shoulder and currently making his way down the ramp, with Tony trailing behind, still looking deep in thought.

It would appear Thor was still inside with Loki. This didn't surprise Anna much.

"Captain," greeted Coulson, eagerly stepping forward to meet Steve. Tony snorted as he walked past, heading for Fury. "You managed to secure Loki and Barton. Good job."

Steve gave a sheepish grin. "Actually, it was all Anna's work." He admitted, and Anna couldn't resist, she made her way toward them.

"Cap just stood to the side and made himself pretty." She teased, forcing herself to remain calm when Coulson's laser like vision snapped to her, and a shiver rolled up her back. She made sure she kept out of his reach, stepping a little bit behind Steve. Pissing off a fanboy wasn't exactly in her list of things to do today, but hopefully, Coulson doesn't actually decide to plot her death.

"Not exactly like that," Steve's lip twitched, and he hoisted the unconscious archer further up. "What should I do with..." He nodded with his head toward Clint.

Coulson eyed the two for a moment, before settling on Steve and gesturing to the small group of S.H.I.E.L.D agents wearing white lab coats, stationed a little bit away, looking like they were waiting for orders. "The medic team are ready to take him." He states, giving a small gesture with his hand. Almost immediately, the group move into action and head toward them, one of them carrying a portable stretcher.

Anna steps back a bit to give them room, watching as Steve unloads Clint onto the stretcher with ease. Once he was fully strapped in, Clint is carried off, vanishing behind a set of doors. Two of the medic team stay behind, asking if they need further assistance. But Anna isn't sure, so she lets Steve handle it. No one was hurt from the retrieval mission, but Anna can assume that Clint is going to wake with a very nasty bump to the head after cracking it against the ground when she hit him with her stunner. He may also possibly have a bruise on his back, with how hard he went down.

On reflection, Anna realizes she may have gone a bit too hard on him. She also hopes he doesn't remember any of it – but even if he did, she doubts he would draw the conclusion to her. She had been disillusioned at the time, after all. So, it may take him some time before he clicks on to it being her. Or maybe he won't at all.

Wishful thinking is a wonderful thing. Too bad it never seems to work out for her.

"I think I'm going to head to my room now," Anna idly announces, feeling a small grip of anxiety in her stomach. She had a lot to do tonight and she'd rather not put it off much longer.

"We still have debriefing to do," Coulson informs her, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sure it can wait until morning." She counters, preparing to flee to her designated sleeping quarters. "Besides, Steve knows enough to fill you all in. Or Natasha – actually, where _is_ Natasha?"

"Agent Romanoff is escorting Hawkeye." A new voice pipes up, causing Anna to spin around. Maria Hill is stood there, looking serene and completely calm, as if she deals with Norse Gods on a regular basis. It's a look that Anna would strive to achieve.

"Uh, hi?" Anna greets, unsure. The two have never been properly introduced.

Maria inclines her head toward Anna, offering up a bland and uninterested "Hi," back, before turning to Coulson. "Debriefing has to wait until morning. Six am sharp."

Anna hides a grin behind her hand. "See? It can totally wait until morning."

"That's roughly three hours away." Maria clarifies.

" _Mother fuc_ –"

" _Language._ "

Anna twitches when a hand lands on her shoulder, and she tilts her head back to see that it's Steve. It would seem he had finished speaking with the medic team. He shot her a playful grin, before dropping his hand. She gave him a glare back, not appreciating him sneaking up on her.

"Not cool." She mutters, giving him a gentle shove.

She doesn't notice the way Coulson's eye begins to twitch.

"Miss Black," Coulson manages to say, forced pleasantly. "You said you were just leaving?"

"Oh!" She nods her head, "Yeah, got things to do. Not a lot of time."

"What things?" Steve asks.

She shrugs. "Just stuff. Anyway, have fun dealing with Loki when he wakes up, because I get the impression he's not a morning person." Her nose wrinkles up in thought. "Oh, and I'd appreciate if I'm left alone for the rest of the...night? Early morning? So, unless the world is ending, kindly get fucked."

Coulson makes a choking noise as Anna flutters away, heading toward the doors in a light jog. She ignores the snap of 'language' from Steve and the indignant shout of Tony, asking where the hell she was going.

She had shit to get done, and not a lot of time. Hopefully, she would be done before anything horrendous happens. Plus, she would really like to get out of her suit.

* * *

Sometime later, Anna was back in her room, sitting on the floor and wearing a frustrated expression. She had changed out of the suit she had been given, and was back in her jumper and jeans. Though the relief of being back in her own clothes had been short lived, and she soon found herself surrounded by thick tomes placed in unwise positions, many of them threatening to spill from the bed and onto the floor, where she was surrounded by many more tomes.

She scratched at her head as she read through one particular tome, levitating it in front of her as to keep her hands free. In one hand, she gripped a small, oval shaped piece of silver, roughly the size of her pinky. In her other, her wand rested, pointed toward the silver object where she was carving specific designs.

Or she would have been, had she not stopped to double check the correct design she wanted to place.

She had been blankly staring at the book for roughly half an hour now, feeling lost and a little bit more than frustrated. Runes hadn't exactly been her specialty, but she knew enough to just understand the basics. And this didn't feel basic. She was getting the very strong feeling that she had fucked up. _Somewhere_. Now if only she could just find where she messed up, she could actually get a move on and finish up.

Where was Hermione when you needed her? She mentally lamented, before scowling at the gray, reflective metal, as if it had given her personal insult.

When she realized glaring was going to get her nowhere, she decided to drop the tome she had been 'reading' and picked up another one, hoping for better results. She was wrong, and she quickly developed a cycle of opening and shutting books, some making no sense to her while others gave her mixed results. Her frustration was growing rapidly and she was very close to giving up, when suddenly, there was a knock at the door, shaking her out of her focus and causing her head to snap up, her necking giving a small creak as she did so.

"Who the fuck is it?" She unintentionally snaps harshly, squinting her eyes at the door, as if to try and see who was on the other side. It didn't give her the answer she sought.

"Tis I, Thor Odinson, of Asgard," confidently calls out Thor, causing Anna to jerk in surprise. "May I enter my lady's chamber? It is a matter most urgent."

Anna flounders for a moment, jaw opening and shutting, resembling something akin to a fish before she huffs out, raising her wand to remove the sticking charm she placed on her door, just in case someone tries to bother her. Namely S.H.I.E.L.D and their bothersome questions. Surprisingly, they hadn't bothered her since she entered her room.

She also hadn't counted on the God of Thunder to come knocking, either.

"Door's open," she eventually says, lowering her wand.

Thor doesn't hesitate in entering, his large form shadowing the doorway and he has to duck slightly to enter. Anna is quick to note that his cape is missing, and it somewhat lessens his intimidating appearance. Do capes actually help with intimidation? Anna is stumped, because maybe they do, and she hadn't realised. Now Thor is just muscle, with a scary hammer, and cape-less. It hasn't lessened his strength in the slightest, but now he looks more approachable. Is that even possible?

Maybe Anna should look into getting a cape? Or should she dig out her old cloak? She never did master Severus Snape's billowing bat-like glide...

Thor's eyes flicker around the room once he slips inside, shutting the door behind him. He takes in the mess, the notable mountain of books on her bed that look ready to tumble over, and the mess on the floor, some books laid open while others were turned upside down and flipped carelessly to the side. Anna doesn't even look ashamed at the mess she had created, only giving one shrug of the shoulder and gesturing to the room.

"Find a place to sit, if you can. Feel free to move things around too, I doubt you could make this any worse." She states, before turning back to the tome in her lap. "And I didn't mean that as a challenge, either." She adds on, her gaze scrolling down the page. Better safe than sorry.

Thor seems to hesitate, as if unsure. But he eventually makes up his mind, and toes a few books out of the way, making space of the floor, before joining her on the carpet, mimicking her position and crossing his legs.

He opens his mouth to speak, only to pause, catching sight of the silver in her hand. He leans forward for a closer look, a look of wonder in his eyes. "These are runes," he breathes, fascinated.

Anna lifts her head to cock an eyebrow at him, curious. "You can read these?" She jerks her chin toward the silver piece.

Thor furrows his brow, leaning back. "They are different to the ones I know," he supplies, "Your markings are similar to Asgardian runes."

She slumps, letting out a quiet groan. "Yeah, not helpful."

"What troubles you?"

"I don't know if it's right, is what's troubling me," she admits, slightly bitter. "A single rune can have multiple meanings, and altering it slightly with open up even more. What I need to know is if I have set it right, because apparently placement matters which is _bullshit_ , and if the runes I've created fits. These books," she flippantly gestures to the room, "Are giving me no help. They all contradict and it's pissing me off."

Thor looks thoughtful. "If your intention is to create runes of power, wealth and fertility, you have succeeded."

She blinks, giving him a bewildered look. "What?" Is her eloquent response. " _Power, wealth and fertility_?" She echoes.

"Indeed," he nods, gesturing to the carvings on the silver piece. "Your markings show strong resemblance to Asgardian runes. Some of my people would give jewellery such as this as courting gifts."

Her jaw drops. "But I was going for protection, luck and strength..." She whispers, suddenly losing confidence. Her gaze drops to the silver in her hand, and the temptation to destroy it is very strong.

"Then you have obviously failed." candidly replies Thor. He doesn't even sound sarcastic about it, which Anna would have expected.

" _Obviously._.." She mutters.

There is a beat of silence, which Anna spent glowering at her silver in her hand.

"Tis an easy mistake to fix." Thor admits, "If you would allow it, I can assist in correcting your errors."

Anna lets her head loll back, fixing him with a blank stare. "You mean you actually know rune making? Besides just reading and understanding them?"

"Indeed," he nods his head "It is not such a difficult task, once you have mastered the basics."

Anna only _just_ knows the basics, damn it.

Her blank stare falls into a glare. "Are you insinuating I don't know what I'm doing?"

"I did not mean to insult," Thor backpaddles, sounding sincere.

Her brow twitches, because it was somehow difficult to stay annoyed at him. Anna is certain it has something to do with the cape...

"And how would you help me fix... _this_?" She lifts the small metal piece up in her hand. "Because last time I checked, I don't have any Asgardian how-to books on runes."

Thor is shaking his head, suddenly casting his gaze across the room, as if searching for something. "Do you have anything I may write in?" He asks, turning his focus back to her.

She blinks. "Uh, sure?" She replies, raising her wand and giving it a little flick. Thor leans away from her at this gesture, eyeing the wand apprehensively. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna attack you."

Unless you're ask for it, is what goes unsaid.

Thor still looks slightly uneased. "That is...comforting."

From the bed, there is sudden rustling, drawing both of their attention over. From beneath the mountain of books, bursts out Anna mokeskin pouch, hovering briefly in the air before flashing over – Thor expertly twists his head to the side to prevent himself from being struck – to her side, smacking her in the shoulder before dropping to the floor with a gentle 'thump'. She stares at it for a moment, before sighing heavily, dropping the silver piece onto the floor to pick it up.

"Something to write in..." She mutters to herself as she opens it, "I think I have something."

Anna taps her wand to the opening of the mokeskin, carefully leaning back when another book is abruptly spit out. She snaps it up before it can hit the ground and blindly tosses it to Thor, who catches it with ease. Anna taps the mokeskin one more time, and this time a single ballpoint pen flops out, silently tumbling onto her lap.

"That is an... interesting object, you possess, Lady Anna," says Thor, conversationally. He was eyeing the pouch with curiosity.

She shrugs, tossing the pouch to the side and handing the pen to Thor. "It's not that interesting," she replies blandly. "You kinda forget what's inside after a while. _I_ don't even remember everything that's inside."

"It contains much?" He enquires, flipping open the empty book.

"Much is putting it lightly. It's essentially my own personal pocket dimension. Kinda."

"Truly?" He sounds dubious, but there is also wonder there.

"Uh, yeah? How much magic exposure have you had, by the way? I mean, if _this_ surprises you..." She trails off, regarding him with uncertainty.

"I am not gifted in the magical arts, nor have I given it much interest in my many years. My mother is the one who excels in magics, and is the one who taught my brother..." He trails off with a pained expression.

Anna purses her lips. "So, I'm going to assume you know what I am. I mean, back on the quinjet, you seemed to know about my wand being a wand. And you called what I did to you magic – which was a bit on the nose, I have to say. Not exactly something I want broadcasted out." She throws in a small glare at the end for good measure, because she was still annoyed about that.

Thor bobs his head, furrowing his brows together. "I was not aware at first, but after experiencing your magic first hand, I began to understand. Mjolnir assisted in helping put these pieces together."

She blinked stupidly up at him. "Mew what?"

"Some would call you an Enchantress –"

Anna splutters openly.

"Or perhaps a Sorceress. But that is neither right nor wrong. Your magic reminds me of a tale I was once told as a lad. Not one so easily forgotten." Thor pins her with an intense look, and she feels herself stiffen up, her heart suddenly pumping twice as fast. "Far in the universe, upon an unknown world, Death weaves a game upon three unwitting brothers. The eldest is the first to perish, his lust for power having lured in larger predators. His gift is thus revoked, stolen away by an unworthy wielder. The second brother is the next to fall, overcome by loss and that he could not reclaim his perished lover; he takes his own life. His gift is said to have vanished with him. The youngest and final brother, however, is said to have made his way through life, unseen by Death, until age finally claimed him. His gift is neither stolen or lost, but passed on through his son and so forth. Time passes, and Death waits for his game to come to completion. He waits for the descendant, who would unite these three gifts together and become the Master."

Anna feels the air whoosh out of her lungs, her face having lost all color. She hadn't expected that, and now she's regretting opening her mouth. And by her reaction, Thor seemed self-satisfied, giving her a knowing look that practically dared her to deny his bold claim.

"Alright," she breathes out shakily, her wand clenched tightly in her fist. "How'd you figure it out? Because that isn't exactly the version of the story I heard."

He gives her a blinding smile. "Mjolnir sensed you," he explains, but it doesn't make much sense to her. Who the frick was Mjolnir, anyway?

"Doesn't explain squat," she mumbles, light headed, and she blinks back her sudden hazy vision.

Thor looked pensive for a moment, as if mentally deciding what to say next. "There are few other artefacts such like Mjolnir," he beings slowly, "But none are human. You resonate with a power similar to my hammer, and through Mjolnir I could sense it."

"Mjolnir is a _hammer_?" She replies airily, allowing it to slowly sink in.

"Aye."

She clenches her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply, clearing her head. "Okay, okay..." She breathes slowly through her nose. "Maybe that explains _something._ Mjol-what's-it did feel kinda funky when you busted into the quinjet, but that doesn't explain how a hammer, of all things, managed to blow my secret!" She exclaims, eyes snapping back open to pin Thor with an irritated expression. He didn't seem fazed at all by it. "I was expecting you to call me out on being a – a witch or a sorceress, as you called it. But not – _damn it!_ Not _that_."

He offers her his own serious expression. "Neither had I expected to run into the prophesied Master of Death."

" _Prophesied_?" Anna splutters.

"Aye, the tale I was told as a child had come from an old prophesy. My father will be most interested to hear of this new development," he mindlessly adds in at the end, looking pensive once again.

Anna makes a choking noise. "I thought I was done with prophesies..." She weakly mumbles to herself, before shaking her head when Thor shoots her another curious look. She was not getting into that right now. "And no, you can't tell your dad." She jabs her finger at him, and he raises an eyebrow at it. "This is...this is..." Her face pales further, and her eyes widen. "Shit, if _you_ know about this through your freaky hammer, then..."

Understanding dawns across Thor's face, before settling into something grim. "Loki will most likely have come into knowledge of your presence upon Midgard."

"What do you think he will do what that knowledge?" She asks faintly.

"It is hard to say, but it would be a wise to assume he will attempt to approach you should he be freed." He offers.

"Great..." She drops her wand onto her lap to rub at her eyes. Soon it would be a full day since she had slept. That wasn't going to do much good for her, besides make her extra irritable. She doubts she could even sleep now. Death by Coulson didn't seem nearly so frightening, anymore. She could totally handle a fanboy – but a God that she had taken out the one time? What was the likely chances of her managing that a second time, should she need to?

"You never answered my question," said Thor, curiosity leaking back into his voice. Anna drops her hands to look at him. "How you came to find yourself on Midgard."

Her shoulders slump. "Actually, I remember answering you."

"I recall a lie," Thor counters. "I would have felt your presence last I visited this earth."

"Yeah? And when did you visit last, exactly?"

"Less than four months ago."

Anna scoffed. "Hate to break it to you, but I've been here for the past four years."

Thor furrows his brows together. "That does not make sense."

She shrugs. "Maybe it's a distance thing?" She offers, "I didn't feel your hammer until you were near me. Same thing for the scepter."

"Scepter?"

"Yeah, Loki's...spear thingy. It's been giving me the same vibes your hammer is letting out."

Thor stiffened up. "I had my suspicions, but..."

"But?

He clenches his jaw. "Who would give him this power?" He bites out, suddenly angry, gripping the pen in his hand hard enough that she can hear an audible snap from the plastic. Her brows shoot up.

"Your guess is as good as mine?" She helplessly points out.

His gaze snaps to her own, and he lessens his grip on the pen. Luckily, there is no ink spillage. He offers an apologetic smile after a moment. "No, perhaps not. But having confirmation on these matters are comforting, if only just."

"Uh, okay?" she blinks, completely confused and having no idea what just happened. "Getting back to the runes, however...?" She points toward the empty book she had handed Thor.

"Ah! Yes, I shall..." He trails off, opening the hand that contained the pen. The plastic has been completely shattered. Thor gives her a sheepish grin, and she has to bite her lip to stop from laughing. "I may require something more suitable to write with."

She waves it off, picking her wand back up and gave it a small swish. A second later, the pen was repaired, showing no sign of its previous damage. "That suitable enough?"

Thor inspects the pen, his thumb running up the smooth edge of the plastic. "Your magic is something entirely different, indeed." He mumbles to himself, before brushing it off. "This will only take one moment." He adds, beginning to scribble something down onto the paper of the book. Anna decides not to watch.

Instead, she peeks at the hammer attached to his belt. The magic that it contained was subdued, as if it were sleeping, almost. But still tangible, like she could reach out and grab it. It wasn't brushing up against her own magic, unlike before, and it made her wonder if it only reacts when someone is wielding it. The same went for Loki's scepter. Once it was contained inside the silver case, it was almost like it had gone dormant, but the magic was still present. It was an interesting thing to think about.

Mjolnir, Thor calls his hammer. Maybe Anna should name her own wand? Maybe she could name it Harry, as a nod to her parents, who would have named her that had she been born male.

Something for her to decide later, perhaps.

"This should be acceptable," said Thor, once he was done scribbling. He handed the book back, and Anna took it with eager fingers. Her eyebrows shot up as she peered at the finished work.

"Uh, are you sure?" She asked, skeptically turning the book on its side to see it from a better angle. "It seems a little too, I dunno, _easy_."

There were three specific runes in total, placed into the shape of a triangle. Nothing fancy, no swirls or added design. It was all sharp lines, each similar looking but set differently. It felt oddly lacking, too simplistic. And from her experience, nothing is ever easy.

"I am certain."

She bites down on her inner cheek, scanning the runes over. She didn't know if these were right either – and these were Asgardian runes, which may not even work at all. "You're gonna have to tell me what they mean. My magic won't take to it unless I have a clear picture."

"You spoke of protection runes, yes?" Anna bobs her head as a yes. "The upper rune is the center point, the main focus. That is the rune for protection. The bottom left is for strength or power of will. This will bolster the protection rune. The last one that remains is on the right, the rune for good fortune and luck, which will give a calming effect once all three are combined together."

"You sound like you've done this before," she mumbles absentmindedly, still inspecting the foreign runes. At least she understands it a little better now. It still felt too simple, however.

She doesn't notice the way heat creeps into Thor's cheeks. "My mother would stitch runes of protection into my clothing as a child." He admits, as way of an explanation.

Anna looks back up at him, cracking a small grin, green eyes sparkling with amusement when she notices the pink in his cheeks. "That's a pretty smart move, actually," she compliments. "A mother will go to extreme lengths to protect her child. Even if it means taking her own life." Her grin turned slightly bitter near the end.

"I... thank you," he sounds uncertain, frowning lightly in concern. "Did your mother also stitch runes of protection?"

"Hmm, nah. Not that I know of, I never really knew her." She shrugs, feigning indifference. Anna may not have known her, but she would have liked to.

"Ah," his expression turns solemn. "I apologize if I have –"

"It's okay, really," she forces a grin. "You didn't know, so don't apologize."

He nods hesitantly after a moment, accepting her reasoning, albeit, reluctantly. To distract herself, Anna grabs her mokeskin pouch back up, using her wand to give it a gentle tap. A second later, a flat circular silver piece, the same size as the other piece, is spat out, flopping onto her lap gently.

Anna tosses her failed attempt at Thor, who deftly catches the silver with his large hand. "You can have that," She explains, lifting the other silver piece up in her hand so she can examine it properly, unsure where she should start carving the runes. Closer to the edge? Or the center? Would it matter, either way?

Thor freezes up at her side, suddenly pale looking. "Lady Anna, I do not think –"

She cuts him off. "And stop calling me a lady, cause I'm not."

"I'm not sure you understand," Thor shakes his head, his golden hair flicking slightly at the motion. "My heart belongs to another, though I am flattered you would –"

"Oh, _oh_." It's Anna's turn to freeze up, her gaze snapping to her botched first attempt that still rested in his hand. "You think that _I_...? she gestured toward the metal piece, then to him and finally, to herself. He nods sheepishly. Eventually, she lets out a snort, turning back to what she was doing. "Sorry, but no thanks. Love isn't at the top of my priority list right now, so you're safe."

Thor seemed to sag with relief, color returning to his face. "That is comforting to know."

"Hmmhmm..." Hums Anna as she begins to carve the first rune. "Besides, you could always give _that_ to, uh, whomever the hell you're currently dating."

He looks thoughtful as she said this. "Perhaps," He replies, skeptical, idly rolling the metal between his fingers. "Jane may find the custom interesting, though I am not certain with Midgardian courtship."

Anna pauses to look back up, blinking owlishly at him. "You mean your Lady Love is from earth?" She cocks a brow, "I would have assumed you'd go from someone from your own home world."

"I had not expected to fall in love upon my last visit to Midgard," confides Thor, smiling faintly. "But I do not regret it."

"Fair enough." she shrugs, going back to what she was doing.

Anna didn't take long to finish carving her runes, her markings slightly neater than Thor's own example. She made sure to show him the final result, to which he gave a firm nod, and a heavy pat on the back in congratulations, which knocked the air out of her. He didn't seem to notice.

"So, what was it you're wanting, anyway?" She managed to wheeze out. "I mean, I'm thankful for you helping me out and all, but I doubt that's why you're here."

His expression turns grim. "No, I am not here on trivial matters." He admits, grimacing. "I require your assistance."

" _With_?"

Thor turns his head down, as if ashamed. "My brother, Loki,"

"Speaking of Loki, has he woken up yet? Or is he still blowing snot bubbles in his sleep?" She asks, curious.

"Indeed, he has. Loki was...lethargic when I spoke with him, before I found myself at your door."

"That's what happens when you take three stunners to the face," shrugs Anna, indifferent. He kinda deserved it, too. Mind magics and murder creates bad karma, and Anna liked to think she dished out some of that for him. He still deserves to get his ass kicked, though. Maybe Clint (Barton? Hawkeye? What was his name again, damn it?) will be first in line once he comes around?

"He is not himself," Thor adds on, ignoring her comment. "The brother I knew would not want this..." He trails off, swallowing thickly and clenching his fists. Anna is certain she sees his eyes watering, and it throws her off. She doesn't know how to deal with tears. Another part of her is also confused, because she can't imagine the God of Thunder crying. And for some reason, that is really sad to think about.

She internally panics for a second, thinking about how she could salvage this, but also thinking that Thor would be an ugly crier, and she doesn't really want to see that. Or maybe that's just her excuse to want to stop him before he could start.

She really hates tears. She's seen enough of them to last her a lifetime.

"Okay, _okay_..." She hesitates, hands flailing slightly, unsure on how to properly approach this. "Uh, how about we start from the beginning? Is that good for you?"

He nods slowly, inhaling deeply to begin.

If Anna was honest, she was expecting Thor to go straight to the root of the problem. He didn't. Instead, Thor began a tale revolving around Frost Giants, a bid for power and war, which quickly developed into the unfolding story of Loki, the time the two spent together as children and the mischief they would get up to, and how he was not his biological brother (why didn't that feel surprising?) and eventually Thor's exile to earth. Some parts were said through grit teeth, clenched fists and a voice that threatened to break – it never did, and neither did a single tear escape (thankfully). He briefly went over meeting Jane and her companions. However, it was as he neared the end did Anna begin to understand.

Thor finished it up, explaining the trick that Loki played on his real father (Laufey), by luring him in to a false sense of security, promising the death of Odin. Only, that's not how it went. Loki was hoping to use this excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifrost Bridge (Anna tried not to think about that), once Laufey attempted to kill Odin. But it wasn't about revenge against his real father, or the frost giants. It was about his worthiness to his adoptive father.

Of course, nothing played out as Loki hoped it would (excluding the death of Laufey). Thor managed to make it back home to intercept Loki, destroying the Bifrost in the process, and leaving the two (not so) brothers stranded until Odin busted in to save the day – who was not exactly pleased with Loki's scheming. This resulted in Loki refusing the aid of his adoptive father, to get out of their stranded situation.

Thor explained that Loki had been assumed dead, after that. Which explained a lot, and why Thor kept giving Loki sad faces on the quinjet.

But also, this wasn't what Anna meant when she said 'start from the beginning', and she doesn't have the heart to tell him that now. At the very least, she knows what's going on and why Loki is acting like a dick. Doesn't mean she likes him, however.

"Now do you see?" Asks Thor, quietly, once a moment has passed for her to process. "My brother is not himself. I believe he is being manipulated."

Anna grimaces. He's probably not gonna like her answer.

"You shouldn't make excuses." She replies, averting her gaze and began to pick at the imaginary lint on her jumper.

She can practically hear him frowning. "I do not understand."

Reluctantly, she looks back up, forcing a neutral expression. "You're making excuses for him. You shouldn't." She can see the flicker of anger in his eyes, and she forges on. Best to get it out quickly, before he decided she'd look better as a splatter on the wall. "I believe that these actions are Loki's own. But as any siblings would do, they will cover for the other, whether consciously or not. And I also believe that Loki is hurting, from what you have told me, even if he's being a massive dick about it. Finding out he was adopted must have left him feeling vulnerable, and naturally, the first thing anyone would do is review what they know. The one time he didn't get his dessert because he didn't eat his dinner? Was it because he's _adopted_? Or, the onetime Thor got a new toy and he didn't, is it because he's not actually _Odin's son_? Or the other time when Thor got more praise than himself? Was it because Thor is Odin's _real son_?" She pauses to study Thor's expression, which had gone considerably pale. "I'm sensing a lot of doubt, and a lot of family issues that need to be brought up. It's also very possible that Loki feels smaller when next to you, being the youngest and all – adopted or not – it can cause a lot of problems and a lot of jealousy. But it's not uncommon for that to happen with younger siblings. It's possible that Loki needed reassurance, but what with the adoption bomb being dropped on him, it has stunted a lot of things."

Thor breathes shakily, and Anna jerks back when she sees his eyes watering once again. She didn't exactly like the thought of being the cause of it. Anna absentmindedly wonders if she has any tissues in her pouch.

"I – I mean I could be totally wrong," she backpaddles when Thor makes a thick choking noise, and she begins to look around her room frantically. All that's there is a mess of books that desperately need to be put away. "I'm totally not qualified to give a psychological opinion and maybe –"

"No." Thor cuts her off, sounding surprisingly strong despite looking seconds away from breaking down. "Your reasoning is sound, but I fear..."

She eyes him skeptically. She really hopes he doesn't cry, she doesn't want to feel like a dick, even though she already does for making him this upset. "...Need a tissue?" She hesitantly asks, because she doesn't know what else to say or how to make this better.

"I am well," he shakes his head, breathing deeply to steady himself, before continuing. "But I fear Loki may not listen, should I attempt to mend these troubles. He was...unwilling to listen, last I spoke to him."

"Then I guess you're kinda, uh, stuck," she helplessly offers. "Which, er, sucks?"

"Indeed," solemnly replies Thor. "Which is why I acquire your assistance regarding these matters."

She blinks, bewildered. "What could I possibly do to make any of this better? I mean, isn't this private family matters on top of a brother that wants to rule the world? And possibly destroy it in the process?"

"I believe, that if you speak to him, you may be able to change his mind. Help him make the right choice."

She leans back, giving him a look of disbelief, her nose wrinkling at the suggestion. "No offence, but I think that is a terrible idea."

"What makes you say so?" Thor enquires, his turn to be confused. "You are the Master, and I believe Loki will listen to what you have to offer."

"I have literally nothing to offer him besides a boot to the face." She deadpans, causing Thor to jerk back in surprise.

"You wish to harm my brother?" Asked Thor, alarmed.

She rolls her eyes. "He already killed 80 people, on top of mind controlling an unknown amount of people. There is nothing he can do now that can take that back, and being sorry isn't going to cut it. Those people he killed? Probably had families, and there are most likely kids out there wondering when their mum or dad is coming home."

He appeared to shrink down at that. "I...had not thought about that." He admits, chastised.

"So, I'll ask again, what is it you think I can do?" She looks him in the eye, completely serious. "I can do magic, yes, that's obvious at this point. Sometimes I can even speak to the dead, should they be willing to speak to me first. But I can't bring back the dead, Master or not, and I can't reverse time. I would like a legitimate reason as to why I should speak to your brother, because I'll be frank, I have no idea what I'm walking into. I don't like going in blind, but recently, that's what has been happening."

Thor looked like he had sucked on something sour, his face scrunching up painfully as he processed her words. Eventually, he spoke. "Loki was...fond of the tale we were told as children. Of Death and the Descendant. And if only for a moment, I do believe he will listen, even if it is to satisfy his own curiosity. To have him consider an alternative option, is better than leaving him to battle this alone." He swallowed, unclenching his fists. "I wish to save my brother, Lady Anna. I would ask of you this one favor."

She purses her lips, feeling something prod at the back of her head. She knew what it was, and she knew trying to stomp it down would be useless. Her saving people thing always managed to rear its ugly head in situations such as these. Draco Malfoy was a good example. But she didn't know if she wanted to save Loki – or even if he wanted to be saved. Did the bond of brothers stretch both ways? Thor seemed to think so. To try and break a bond such as that, after probably thousands of years...

She huffs heavily, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'm making no promises," she begins, smiling slightly when Thor perks up. "I don't like using my title as an excuse. But...if I get a private moment apart from everyone else, I'll _try_ to talk to him. Just don't expect anything to come of it."

"You mean this?" He eagerly asks, eyes lighting up and reaching out to grasp her hand, dwarfing it in his own giant one. She can't help but smile softly, her heart swelling with a strange warmth, and gives a small nod. His grip tightens lightly, but not enough to hurt, and she thinks she can feel it tremble slightly. His expression is earnest as he spoke. "I would ask of you no more than this. Even if nothing comes of it, you have my thanks."

His hand lingers only for a moment before he lets go.

Her lip twitches at his sudden lightened features, as if a weight has been lifted. "I've gotta ask, and I don't mean to be a downer, but with Loki the way he currently is, do you know if he has taken any more of your friends? If he already has Selvig..." She trails off, analyzing his expression.

He shakes his head, and his expression doesn't darken, so she takes it as a good sign. "No," he replies, catching onto her meaning. "My Lady Jane and Darcy are protected. Away from any danger that may pose a threat, until such a time I can return to them."

"Well, that's good," she remarks, "And I don't have any friends for him to steal away, so I can assume I'm not in for any surprises. Unless he stole that old woman that runs this old antique store I sometimes visit, I'd be pretty pissed if Loki decided he wanted her on his side." Thor gives her a strange look, and she shrugs, adding on, "I've seen her with a bat, that shit is nightmare fuel."

"You have no friends?" He asked after a moment, looking bewildered.

Anna gives him a blank expression. "I _do_ have friends," she corrects, "Just not on this earth."

His eyebrows shoot up in understanding. "Ah," he pauses, seeming to considering what else to say, before continuing. "You never explained how you have found yourself on Midgard."

She shoots him a weak glare, having hoped he would forget about it. No such luck, apparently. "Nothing against you, but I don't want to talk about. Wasn't exactly a happy day for me what that shit happened."

"Then perhaps another time?"

She purses her lips together. "I... _maybe_. I dunno. Once everything is fixed, and Loki is gone, maybe then. You know about my status, and about my magic. But I want to talking about this on my own, not because I feel pressured into it."

He furrows his brows, speaking honestly. "I do not mean to make you uncomfortable."

Anna rubs the side of her neck, awkwardly averting her gaze. "I know, and it's totally not your fault. But, I don't want to talk about it. Not now, anyway. And certainly not inside a secret organization base. So, later? _A lot_ later."

He doesn't seem convinced, but he accepted her excuse nonetheless. "Then that will do, for the moment." He concedes, bowing his head. "For now, I will gladly be your friend."

Her jaw drops in surprise. "You, uh, really don't have to do that." She states, rather awkward. When was the last time she actually made a friend, anyway?

He gives her a grin back, eyes sparkling brightly. "You have offered me your aid in saving my brother, I'm sure that would qualify you as my friend."

Anna gives her best fish impression, mouth opening and shutting, before she finally jerks her head sheepishly. "Yeah, alright, I suppose." What else could she say? Besides, it's not every day one could admit they have a legitimate God as a friend.

Something in her chest unfurls at the thought, a warm, comforting feeling sweeping across her body.

It really was a nice thought.

The nice thought was broken by the abrupt sound of someone knocking on her door, and she sighs heavily, reluctantly climbing to her feet to make her way over to the door, doing her best not to step on any of her books.

"Who the fuck is it?" She calls, echoing her previous greeting when Thor had showed up. Anna presses her hand against the door handle, but doesn't open it.

"That's really no way to greet anyone," came the condescending voice of Tony Stark, and she fought back a groan.

"Because I totally feel bad about it," Anna sarcastically replies through the wood. "Now, what'd you want? I got shit to do."

"I'm hurt, can't even open a door to tell me to go away." Tony flatly responds, "But seriously though, open the door."

She rolls her eyes, giving her wand a small wave, which causes her littered room to sweep into action. Her mokeskin pouch stands erect on the floor, opening its entrance wide as her books pour back inside. She ignores Thor's startled shout when one book clips the top of his head, and he sends the pouch that had swallowed the book up a bewildered, yet annoyed look as he rubbed the top of his head.

She snorts, placing her wand back through her hair, and turns back to the door once the books and other miscellaneous items packed themselves away, – she really would have hated to explain that one to Tony Stark of all people – and cracks it open, revealing an impatient looking Tony. When she notices no one else is with him, she opens it wider.

"Took your time," he remarks, pouting slightly, and eyeing the open doorway that lead into her room. His gaze drops to the Asgardian, currently still seated on her floor, looking perfectly content, if slightly curious about Tony's sudden arrival. Tony's gaze snaps back to her. "Uh, why is Thor here? Last I checked he was still hovering over what's-his-face."

"Sleepover. You're not invited." Anna blandly answers, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms across her chest. "And I was less than a minute, I didn't see the rush."

He clicks his tongue, sniffing indignantly. "As if I needed an invite, anyway."

She raises a single, dubious eyebrow at him. " _Riiighhtt_...and you're here because?"

"Oh, you know, just thought I'd check things out. See how you were doing. But clearly, I'm unwanted," he shrugs, feigning indifference. She didn't buy it.

"And the real reason?"

"Figured out what Loki was after," he gleefully responds, wearing a self-satisfied expression, verging on excitement. She warily leans her head back, because she doubts that's a good sign. Behind her, Thor sits straighter, his focus remaining intently on Tony. " _Iridium_. Know what that means?"

"No, not really," she continues to eye him carefully, "But I'm going to assume it's important."

"Obviously," scoffs Tony. "It means Loki has figured out a way to stabilize the portal without making everything collapse around it. Or, y'know, make everything go boom." He simplifies, adding in a shrug at the end.

Anna frowns deeply. "And if Loki's minions already have this, uh, _iridium_? How long do we have before there is a functional working portal ripping the sky open?"

"Depends," admits Tony, looking slightly pensive.

"On?"

"How far along they are in developing and building the portal itself. Could be a month. Could be a week. Possibly a few days. Heck, maybe hours. We won't know until Loki starts singing. Or, until we manage to trace the tesseract, which could be awhile still. Banner is tracing the gamma rays, so that's our best lead at the moment. Gonna have to sit tight until we get our answers."

Anna groans, slumping further against the doorframe. "That's really not comforting at all," she moans, pressing her cheek against the wood. "But I gotta ask, why are you telling me this now, instead of at debriefing? I doubt you'd come all this way just to tell me."

On response, Tony's eyes flicker up to her hair, and she can practically see the spark in his eye. "Well, you see –"

"No. Nu uh. Not in this life." She shakes her head rapidly, leaning away from the doorframe and backing up slightly into her room.

"Aw! C'mon, I promise I'll give it back!"

"To take the wand of a sorceress is to insult them," Thor suddenly rumbles from the floor behind her, voice low and threatening. "Have you no shame?"

Tony blinks, seemingly caught off guard. "Sorceress?" He echoes, bewildered.

"Oh, you are _shitting_ me..." Growls Anna, eye twitching in annoyance.

"Wait, hold up, does this mean –"

She doesn't give him a chance to finish his sentence, and slams the door in his face before he could push his way through. She quickly pulls out her wand, reactivating her sticking charm on the door before very slowly turning to face Thor, who was looking satisfied, as if he had done her a favor.

He really hadn't.

She gave him a forced, twitchy smile.

"You really have no idea how to keep your fucking mouth shut, do you?"

* * *

 **In this chapter we learn that Thor is a blabber mouth. We also learn that Thor is aware of the Hallows, and that Anna is the Master of Death (I am considering turning it to Mistress, but I've not made my mind up about it). The story that Anna learned and what he learned are similar, but slightly different, which will be touched upon in later chapters. I also think that Thor really loves his brother, and would go to extreme lengths to save him, even if it's from himself. I doubt that kind of brotherly bond is so easily broken.**

 **Oh, and I should mention, I have some plans for Jane and Darcy, but that will be told at a later time.**

 **On another note, this is the longest chapter so far – so, yey?**

 **Ah, anyway, I hope you enjoyed! And feel free to leave a review! Feedback is always appreciated.**


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